“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
Our short gospel passage provides the impetus, the inspiration, to pause and absorb the solitude, the peace, the presence of God whether in the form of verbal prayers or meditation, or contemplation.  Every Christian needs a special place—the desert experience—where God will manifest his presence.  In the New Testament many ‘believers’ had a special room or space—like a porch—usually built on the top of a flat roof dwelling, used for quiet prayers.
Often, as recorded in scripture, Jesus needed a ‘desert place’ to pray, pausing to center his thoughts and mission toward his Father and our Father’s will.  Such can be found in the gospels: Jesus was praying in a certain place when he ceased one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’ (Luke 11:1); In those days he went into the hills to pray. (LK 6:12);  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness and tempted by the devil. (MT 4:1-2, ); Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart. (MT 14:13);  And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives. . . And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw and knelt down and prayed. (LK 22:39); Then Jesus said to them, ‘Sit here, while I go yonder and pray. (MT 26:36
In the words of a farmer who struggled to balance his ‘Christ time’ within his ‘work time’—the days filled with chores, repairs, tending to crops and livestock—he made a priority. “If you ever feel like your life is running out of control, or there is too much commotion going on around you to maintain peace of mind, you might look for a quiet place to pray and get your thoughts back into harmony with God’s thought.  In my early years, when I was a busy worker on our family farm, days were long and filled with unending jobs. If I started losing my peace of mind, I’d look for an opportunity to step aside from the hectic routine for a few minutes and quietly pray. Often, I’d park my truck behind some apple trees somewhere on the farm, pull out my crinkled, dirty and battered copy of faith, and read a few passages to remind me of who was really in control of my life. It usually took just a few minutes to get my thought centered back with God, and off I’d go to my next job, but feeling much more peace.  Jesus said, “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father. (MT 6:6). Our “room,” is God’s presence. Whatever it takes. . .to shut our mental door to commotion, distraction, and noise from the world at large, and quietly commune with God. Tension goes away, stress leaves, health problems alleviate, and peace is found.  Find your quiet place to pray today. (Spirit View) Within various African cultures there is a common denominator though spoken in different tribal languages.  Essentially it is translated as “Keeping Time.”  When sitting with a family member, a friend, a neighbor who happens by or a stranger passing through the village, there is no incessant need to talk.  Thus, and very often, the two or three sit in silence, ‘keeping time’ with one another—and with God.  Time is not an element, just an understanding of being present to one another, quietly, thoughtfully, graciously.  Conversation doesn’t define the relationship so much as the desire to be fully present to another, “Keeping Time Together.”  Wherever you ‘pull over’ to a deserted place within your daily routine, an inspirational yet simple mantra is found in Psalm 46: 
“Be still, and know that I am God.
” Be still, and know that I am God. 
Be still, and know that I am. 
Be still, and know. 
Be still. 
Be. 
As the priest and spiritual author Henri Nouwen advises, “Solitude is very different from a 'time-out' from our busy lives. Solitude is the very ground from which community grows. Whenever we pray alone, study, read, write, or simply spend quiet time away from the places where we interact with each other directly, we are potentially open for a deeper intimacy with each 
other.”
God Bless, Fr. Tim
FYI: “What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)