Taking the weekend to relax was hugely beneficial, I recommend it! Jesus often went off on His own for periods; as He modeled all things for us, so too did He demonstrate the importance of taking time for solitude and personal prayer with the Father.

Recently, I saw a short video clip of someone questioning Sacred Scripture, citing numerous quotes from the Old Testament to make the "God is cruel and insane"-style connection.

Just like how Paul tailored his message in his various letters, so too have God's interactions with humans been carefully-- perfectly, actually-- crafted to fulfill the giant love story arc that is His Providence. Jesus becoming incarnate in 4000 B.C. wouldn't have allowed for God to lay all of the foundation through prefigurement, the prophecies, and so forth. The Father had to pave the way for the Son.

In other words, it wasn't time yet.

This fellow raised the objection, "But God created the universe itself, so couldn't He have made it time? And why would He punish someone for a sin He already knew they would commit?"

An important thing to remember is that God loves us so much He gives us Free Will. By definition, love is something freely given. He could snap his fingers and make us robots who automatically "adore" Him-- but that isn't love. We get to choose, but our choices are ultimately baked into His plan, from before time began. The two concepts aren't mutually exclusive.

He freely provides His grace, mercy, and forgiveness to each and every one of us. And He will work through us in unique ways, just as He worked with humanity differently in ancient times versus today. But it is up to us to choose to have that relationship with Him.