Rest is something that we seem to rarely experience. We are busy, busy, busy,– Perhaps its Work, Meetings, corporate travel. Get out of work, and there might be the kid’s soccer practice, then rush to hockey practice. Drop the kids off at Band – then rush to bring them to quiz bowl after. – Give the day and the time, and there always something going on – and at the end and we can seem exhausted. And the next day is more of the same – always trying to get something done. These are good activities, but there seems to be no rest.
The opposite of activity is also not restful – Many busy lives were interrupted by shutdowns last year and people were left with nothing to do – and I don’t think rest is what many would describe the experience as. – Yes activities ended, but it was replaced by fears, isolation, and boredom – All of this time, but what was there too do? – All of this is very understandable and reasonable, but it shows that merely not having things happening does not make something rest.
In contrast, Psalm 23 is a picture of true rest and leisure. It sounds wonderful and it’s something that we naturally long for – there is a reason this psalm is so popular at funerals – there seems to be peace through it, walking, sitting at table, not rushed, by green pastures and restful waters – all in the presence of the Lord, the good shepherd– but its seems out of reach, it seems as something only for heaven, not for now.
However, Back in 2002 EWTN had an alternative version of Psalm 23, which gives a contrasting picture, and much easier to picture view
The TV is my shepherd I shall not want, It makes me to lie down on the sofa. It leads me away from the faith, It destroys my soul. It leads me to the path of sensualism and violence for the advertiser’s sake. Even though I walk in the shadow of Christian responsibilities, There will be no interruption, for The TV is with me. Its cable and remote control, they comfort me It prepares a commercial for me in the midst of my worldliness And anoints my head with consumerism. My covetousness runeth over; Surely ignorance and laziness shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell in the house of wretchedness watching the TV forever.
Clearly a bit dated, its not so much TV as YouTube, Netflix, or Disney+ now. And there is a great irony in the fact that this little parody of psalm 23, created to condemn watching TV, was created by a TV station. Clearly, we should not read too much into this little parody, but it shows a very different vision of Rest, or an attempt to find rest, one that does not seem so attractive, in fact there is no Rest at all. But there is a similarity between EWTN’s little parody and the actual psalm 23, rest is sound by being with the shepherd, - the difference, who/what is the shepherd? – only in one is rest actually found. The parody shows the TV as the shepherd, and as such, rest is sought in watching TV, But no rest is found at all, instead all that is found is entertainment and distraction. - If someone is stressed before watching TV, after hours of watching TV, they will still be stressed after. The problem here is not the TV or streaming services per se, they are not evil and watching them can be fine – in fact watching Mass on TV can be a lifeline for the homebound – the problem is that rest is not found in TV, for TV is not the shepherd. Similar problems come with whenever we seek rest that which is not the true shepherd; in anything other than the Lord
In contrast, psalm 23 shows the Lord as the shepherd, and in him rest is actually found. There is activity, but the activity is less important that who it is with, the Lord. The activity, walking, being near restful waters, is about the fact that it is in the Lord that makes it Restful – The time is not in isolation, but in Community – sitting at table the Lord has spread - which would have has friends and family at it. It is not a denial of challenges and hardship – after all the psalmist is walking through the dark valley – but there is no fear of them because God is actually in control, unlike the TV. So Rest can be had even in challenging times, if we take time to rest in the Lord.
We start to see a bit of this now, it is not something just for heaven as it is tempting to think – It may not always be easy and it can’t be rushed, it is not resting in Christ when one rushes through prayers to say they are done, – I speak from experience on that that – but it is not hard to get start - by being here at Mass we have already started, for at Mass we come to the Lord’s table which he sets before us. No matter the dark valleys one walks through, when we come to Mass and rest in Christ, we are seeing a small bit of what psalm 23 shows – and as we live more and more in Christ, the good shepherd– no matter the hardships and dark valleys, we will find rest, even now.