A really good rest

THERE are, of course, different ways and kinds of rest.

But we should try to have a really good one that is fit to our dignity

as persons and children of God. And this kind of rest can only be

found in Christ who precisely said: “Come to me, all you who are weary

and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11,28)

  

            It is this rest that takes care of all the aspects of our

need for rest—physical, mental, emotional, etc.—integrating them and

reinforcing them in their contributions to serve, rather than

undermine, our human and Christian dignity.

  

            With this rest, our love for God and for others continues

to vibrate. In fact, with this rest, our love for God and for others

would grow and would keep on being creative and inventive. With this

rest, a certain renewal takes place that would trigger impulses and

drive to continue doing good in spite of difficulties.

  

            It is this rest that would prefigure the ultimate heavenly

rest that Christ promised us to enjoy, where endless and pure bliss is

assured. Of course, in our temporal and earthly life, our rest would

always include some sacrifice, and we should not be surprised by that

reality. We need to understand that a really good rest is one that

will always nourish and fuel our love for God and for others.

Otherwise, it is not a real rest.

  

            We have to be wary of associating our rest with the merely

physical, mental or emotional, etc., because without basing it on

Christ they can only give us some semblance of rest but not the real

one. Sooner and later it can only lead us to some anomalies and

irregularities that, of course, are not proper to us.

  

            Sad to say, the common idea of rest nowadays is one where

Christ is not the basis and the end. It is the kind that does not

result in the renewal and growth of real love. It rather feeds our

self-love, definitely a sweet poison.

  

            And as a consequence, it is a deceptive kind of rest that

can give some feelings of rest that actually would give rise to

conditions that would rouse our weaknesses and would attract all kinds

of temptations. It tickles the flesh but numbs the spirit. We would

become vulnerable to our weakness and the temptations.

  

            We need to clarify this issue of our rest, and find

practical and attractive ways to make the really good rest appreciated

by all. As said earlier, our real rest may involve some sacrifice, but

we have to reassure everyone that the dividends of such rest far

outweigh the sacrifices that may be involved.

  

            We need to sustain some kind of campaign in this regard,

encouraging some people to be models and experts in showing and

explaining what a really good rest is. Now that we are facing

tremendous and complicated challenges in practically every aspect of

our life, we really need to inculcate in everyone the true kind of

rest.

  

            Yes, to this end, there will be considerations about the

virtues of order, sense of priority, prudence, and the practices of

prayer, meditation and contemplation, as well as self-denial and a

healthy spirit of mortification.

  

            We have to find ways of how to relate the different kinds

and forms of resting to the real rest that has Christ at the root,

center and end. It’s a pity that we seem to have developed very

sophisticated forms of physical, mental, emotional rest, etc., but

fail to connect them to the real source and objective of rest.

  

            Let’s hope that some people would dedicate time and energy

in developing programs that would attend to these problems and

deficiencies insofar as the really good rest is concerned.