Grieving for a loved one can be tough. When we lose a person that is close to us, especially unexpectedly due to an accident or illness, it is hard to understand and even harder to accept the words of comfort that come from others. It takes time to once again be at peace. Most times in the situation like that, we want to be alone, quiet. After the funeral, the burial, and after all the visitors leave, we want just quiet time for ourselves, just to pray, to think, and simply to rest. I know that because I did experience this myself. And Jesus experienced it too, as we read in the Gospel reading today: “When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.” The Gospel doesn’t give us a specific reason why Jesus wanted to be by himself, but I think that He also wanted just some time for Himself, to grieve over His friend.
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