In the morning, while it was still very dark, [Jesus] got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed (Mark 1:35)
I once read a book by Henri Nouwen called Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life. He wrote the following words about Mark 1:35 as an introduction to his book. I want to share them with you today.
In the middle of sentences loaded with action - healing suffering people, traveling from town to town and preaching from synagogue to synagogue - we find these quiet words. In the center of breathless activities we hear a restful breathing. Surrounded by hours of moving we find a moment of quiet stillness. In the heart of much involvement there are words of withdrawal. In the midst of action there is contemplation. And after much togetherness there is solitude. The more I read this near silent sentence locked in between the loud words of action, the more I have the sense that the secret of Jesus' ministry is hidden in that lonely place where he went to pray, early in the morning, long before dawn.
In the lonely place Jesus finds the courage to follow God's will and not his own; to speak God's words and not his own; to do God's work and not his own. It is in the lonely place, where Jesus enters into intimacy with the Father, that his ministry is born (Nouwen).
Loving Lord, guide us toward those special places apart where we can find intimacy with you. Amen.
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