Day 17: To Be With Him (Mark 3:13–19, Part Two)
By Sindhu Nadarajan · Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Setting the scene
When Jesus called the Twelve, he gave them a job description in three phrases: to be with him, to preach, and to drive out demons. We usually rush to the last two, because they look like real work. But Mark lists them in order, and the order is the lesson. Before the apostles were sent anywhere, they were simply invited to stay close. And even when they were sent out, they felt the communion of the Spirit working through them.
The order of love
Jesus himself lived by this order. Before the crowds woke, he rose early and went off to a deserted place to pray (Mk 1:35). His preaching and healing poured out of that hidden communion with the Father. "Seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides" (Mt 6:33). When Martha was "anxious and worried about many things," he did not scold her service; he reminded her that "there is need of only one thing" (Lk 10:41–42). First things first is not a productivity tip. It is the essence of love.
Branches don't strain
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:5). No branch has ever produced a grape by trying harder. It stays attached, and the sap of the vine does the work. Cut off, it may look green for a day or two, but it is already drying out. "Unless the LORD build the house, they labor in vain who build" (Ps 127:1).
When love becomes a to-do list
This is a special word for those who labor in his vineyard. Many people fall head over heels for doing things for the Lord: leading worship, running retreats, serving the poor, posting the Gospel. It is beautiful and real. But slowly, almost without noticing, the Lord of the work gets crowded out by the work for the Lord. Prayer feels slow and useless next to the energy of ministry. Silence feels like wasted time. We start measuring our love by how much we get done, and when we finally sit down to pray, we have no idea what to do with ourselves.
That restlessness is not failure. It is a sign that our souls are seeking the real vine.
The power of the hidden hour
St. Faustina was a young sister burning to save souls. Jesus showed her where the real power lies, telling her she would save more souls "through prayer and suffering than will a missionary through his teachings and sermons alone" (Diary, 1767). This does not cancel preaching; the apostles were sent to preach. It puts preaching in its place. The unseen hour before the tabernacle reaches further than the most impressive event we could ever organize, because there the Lord himself acts.
Not I, but God at work
Here is the deepest freedom of all: when I remain in him, I am not the one carrying the mission. St. Paul says, "I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:20). Looking back on all his labors, he adds, "not I, however, but the grace of God [that is] with me" (1 Cor 15:10). Jesus promises that he and the Father will come and make their dwelling with the one who loves him (Jn 14:23), and the Spirit is poured into our hearts. The whole Trinity takes up residence and gets to work.
St. Ignatius, in the Contemplation to Attain Love, asks us to consider how God works and labors for me in all things (Spiritual Exercises 236). Father, Son, and Spirit labor for me, in me, and through me. Isaiah saw it long before: "all we have done, you have done for us" (Isa 26:12). So prayer is not one more task on the list. It is where I stop running the show and let God do what only God can do.
This does not mean we stop running. St. Luigi Orione, who poured himself out for orphans, earthquake survivors, and the poorest of the poor, knew the rush of tireless ministry better than most. Yet he insisted that nothing good is done without prayer, and that God's works are done with joined hands. He famously said, "Even when we run, we must remain spiritually kneeling before Him." The goal is not less love in action, but action that never leaves the place of prayer.
Where to begin
If prayer feels dry or impossible, don't wait to feel like it. Start small and steady, and be faithful. Give the Lord the first ten minutes of the day, before your phone and before your plans. Whenever you can, spend time before the Blessed Sacrament and pour out your heart to him as he pours himself out to you. At night, pray the Examen and notice where he was already at work. Let the Lord teach you to be with him, because he called you for that first.
Ponder
In my own life, which comes first in practice: being with the Lord, or doing for him?
When I serve, do I feel carried by him or driven by myself? What does the difference feel like?
What would change if I truly believed the Trinity is laboring in me and through me, and not just waiting for my results?
What small, faithful step to deepen my prayer can I commit to this week?
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, you called your friends first to be with you. Pull me back from my rushing and plant me in you, the true vine. Free me from measuring my love by my output. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, labor for me, in me, and through me, so that whatever I do is your work. Amen.
St. Bruno
October 6 is also the memorial of St. Bruno, who left a prominent teaching career to found the Carthusians, a hidden life of silence and prayer. Even when his former student, Pope Urban II, called him to Rome, his heart kept returning to solitude with God. He is a fitting witness for today: the fruitfulness of the Church grows from hidden roots that have searched for and found deeper, steady waters.
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