This and That:
Vacation WITH God, Not FROM God
Now that school is out for the summer and there are less activities or meetings for children and adults, many people take on a different schedule for the summer. In a sense, it’s like the Jewish and Christian tradition of Sabbath, a time to rest from labors and to be rejuvenated.
Summer is actually a great time to renew or deepen our relationship with God. The beauty of nature inspires praise for our Creator. Longer days of daylight mean a little more time in the morning or evening to spend in prayer. I love summer evenings, and taking a 30 minute walk becomes a time of prayer.
If we have a little more leisure time, we can reflect on the past year and where we are in our lives since last summer. Don’t miss the opportunities for some moments of quiet prayer, whether to give thanks for blessings or to turn our troubles and challenges over to the Lord, asking for his help.
Without school work, summer is a great time to do some Bible study or read some books on spiritual topics. For children, lives of the Saints or Bible stories can be inspirational. For adults, there are many books on prayer, Scripture, and Christian living. Lots of people spend their time on the beach reading, so why not include a spiritual book on your summer reading list?
If you take a vacation as a family or as an individual, find a Catholic parish and attend Mass. It may be interesting to see how other parishes celebrate – what kind of music they sing, how the priest or deacon preaches, how they greet people or minister to children. We have often found good ideas for our parish through experiences from other parishes.
We notice that Mass attendance is lower once Religious Education classes are over for the year and Sacraments have been celebrated. We know that some of this is due to people being away on vacation different weekends. We also know that some folks take the summer “off” from church, and I think they may be missing spiritual nourishment that we all need so much.
On last exhortation – LISTEN for God’s messages to you – in the quiet of your own heart, in conversations with friends or family members while sipping a cool drink, and in the beautiful sounds of nature. Everyone is so “plugged in” these days – always listening to music on IPods or watching videos or television – and these are good things. However, sometimes we miss the beautiful sounds of nature – birds singing, crickets chirping, leaves swaying in the breeze, waves crashing on the shore. We need to be quiet to hear these sounds. Listening to them can be very calming and can connect us with our God, who created us to enjoy all of these other parts of creation.
So enjoy your summer vacation, whether at home or away. Spend some time being quiet each day and know that the Spirit of God dwells within your own heart. LISTEN – to your own thoughts and feelings, to God’s Word in Scripture and to the sounds of creation, and RESPOND as a disciple of Jesus Christ – sharing love, forgiveness, healing presence and joy with others.
Happy Summer!
Sister Mary Therese
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