A WORD FOR TODAY 6 FEBRUARY 2021

*A WORD FOR TODAY*

*WORK HARD ALWAYS, BUT FIND TIME TO REST

_"The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.”(Mark 6:31)_

_*One of the things that the Scriptures condemn is a lazy and idle attitude. Anyone who patronizes laziness and idleness is simply inviting the devil to come and build a castle inside his or her heart. An idle and lazy person will always be a burden to others and will never want to do anything even when opportunities lie before him.*_

_Our Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples the principles of hardwork and they took seriously their task of propagating the Gospel. He sent them out to go and minister to the people and when they returned, they gave an account of all that they did and Jesus told them to come away to a lonely place and rest for sometime._

_*When you work hard, you give yourself the opportunity to achieve success and make meaningful impact in the world. Hardwork does not kill, instead it opens up doors of breakthrough for you in different fronts. There is need for us to understand this and then strive to apply it in everything we do and also when we are asked to perform a task.*_

_However, in applying the attitude of hardwork to the things we do, we must also use reason to know when we should rest. This will help us not to burn out very quickly, but conserve some energy we shall use to work some other day._

_*Our task in life are many and it involves offering sacrifice of praise to God, evangelization and doing good always by sharing what we have as recommended in the first reading of today. These requires Hardwork and if we are going to do it well, we must make sure that we hold unto God firmly. We must also be ready, to rest from time to time so as to recharge and renew our strength and energy to do more good.*_

_Sometimes we tend to overwork ourselves in Nigeria and the culture of rest do not seem to come very handy. We must constantly try to find a balance between working hard and finding time to rest. Ask yourself, when was the last time you took a time off from work and your busy schedule to just relax by watching a movie, play football or other sports and do exercise, go to the park, travel outside your base, go for a picnic or takeout time to have a retreat and meditate. All of these and much more, will definitely help you to recharge and renew your energy for greater productivity._

_*Rest is very important in our lives. We achieve success by working hard, but if we fail to rest from time to time, we may not be alive or healthy to enjoy the fruits of our hardwork. Therefore, work hard today, rest a bit and have the energy to do more good for God and humanity.*_

_Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Paul Miki and companions (1564 1597). He was born in Japan between 1564 and 1566. He joined the Society of Jesus and preached the gospel to the Japanese people with great success. When a persecution of the Catholics arose he was arrested together with twenty-five others. Mocked and tortured, they were eventually taken to Nagasaki on 5 February 1597, bound to crosses and speared. Let us learn from them to remain steadfast in our faith always._

_*Good morning dearest one. Smile😊as you do your work and do have a splendid weekend. Always do your best in what you do and you will be satisfied. And may the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.*_

*Meditation:* Hebrews 13:15-17,20-21/Psalm 23:1-6/Mark 6:30-34

*Watch-Word:* The Lord is my Shepherd there is nothing I shall want.

*Work hard in the right way and you will achieve the desired results, but if you work hard in the wrong way, the results you get will be discouraging.*

(Saturday of the fourth week in the ordinary time. Year I. Memorial of St. Paul Miki and companions.)