Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

The Gospel of today’s liturgy (Mk 6:30-34) tells us that the Apostles gather around Jesus after returning from their mission and tell him what they have accomplished. He then says to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (v. 31). However, the people understand where they are headed and, when they get off the boat, Jesus finds the crowd waiting for him. He feels compassion for them, and he begins to teach (cf. v. 34).

Thus, on the one hand, there is an invitation to rest, and on the other, Jesus’ compassion for the crowd — it is very beautiful to pause and reflect on Jesus’ compassion. The invitation to rest and compassion appear to be incompatible things. Instead, they go together: resting and being compassionate. Let us take a closer look.

Jesus is concerned about the disciples’ tiredness. Perhaps he is aware of a danger that can also affect our lives and our apostolate — for example when the enthusiasm for carrying out the mission or work, or the roles and tasks assigned to us, make us victims of activism — and this is a bad thing: too concerned with things to do and too concerned with results. We then become distressed and lose sight of what is essential, running the risk of exhausting our energies and falling into bodily and spiritual fatigue.

This is an important warning for our life and for our society, which is often held prisoner by haste, but also for the Church and pastoral service: brothers and sisters, let us beware of the dictatorship of doing ! This can also happen out of necessity, within our families, for example, when the father has to be away for work to earn a living, thus having to sacrifice time spent with the family. They often leave early in the morning when the children are still asleep and return late in the evening when they are already in bed. And this is a social injustice. In families, fathers and mothers should be able to have time with their children, to let love grow within their family and in order not to fall into the dictatorship of doing. Let us think about what we can do to help people who are forced to live like this.

At the same time, the rest proposed by Jesus is not an escape from the world, a retreat into a merely personal well-being. On the contrary, when he is confronted with the aimless people, he feels compassion. We thus learn from the Gospel that these two realities — rest and compassion — are linked: only if we learn how to rest can we have compassion. Indeed, it is possible to have a compassionate gaze that understands the needs of others, only if our heart is not consumed by the anxiety of doing, if we know how to stop and how to receive God’s grace, in the silence of adoration.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, we can ask ourselves: do I know how to pause throughout my day? Am I capable of taking a moment to be with myself and with the Lord, or am I always in a hurry, in a rush to get things done? Can we find some kind of “inner desert” in the midst of the din and activities of each day?

May the Holy Virgin help us to “rest in the Spirit” even in the midst of all daily activities, and to be available and compassionate towards others.

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After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:

Dear brothers and sisters, the Paris Olympic Games will begin this week, and will be followed by the Paralympic Games. Sport also has a great social power, and it can peacefully unite people from different cultures. I hope that this event may be a beacon of the inclusive world we want to build and that athletes, with their sporting testimony, may be messengers of peace and authentic models for young people. In particular, in accordance with an ancient tradition, may the Olympic Games be an occasion to call for a cease-fire in wars, demonstrating a sincere desire for peace.

I greet you all, people of Rome and pilgrims from Italy and many countries. In particular, I greet the Notre Dame Équipe from the Diocese of Quixadá, Brazil, and the “Assumpta Science Center Ofekata” Association, which works on educational solidarity projects for Africa.

I also greet the Silent Workers of the Cross and the Volunteers of Suffering Center, gathered in remembrance of their founder, Blessed Luigi Novarese; the candidates and the young professed women of the Institute of the Missionaries of the Kingship of Christ; the young men from the vocational group of the Minor Seminary of Rome, who have walked the way of Saint Francis from Assisi to Rome.

Brothers and sisters, let us pray for peace. Let us not forget martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar and many other countries that are at war. Let us not forget, let us never forget, war is a defeat!

I wish everyone a happy Sunday. And please do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!