May and June have been my favorite months since I was a kid. Why? School’s out, vacations are ahead, and there is time to catch a breath. The entire summer is ahead of us. Thinking about all the opportunities brings me so much joy. Although, ever since I was ordained 27 years ago, summers don’t seem to slow down. I don’t know about you, but with all the responsibilities on my plate, I feel a little guilty scheduling a vacation, and worried about all of the things I’ll need to catch up on when I return. So many of us today are stressed out and burdened. Is it any wonder that my favorite scripture is “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)? Now that July is here, maybe we could think about adopting a summer spirituality.
The liturgical life of the church has always been firmly governed by a sense of times and seasons. The liturgy tells us that times and seasons do matter. Our bodies are attuned to the onset and passing of seasons of the year and our whole cycle of life as Catholics is dominated by liturgy and sacrament. So, it makes sense talking about a spirituality of summer.
Christ makes it clear in my favorite scripture, for us to receive our rest, we must first go to him. He is calling; are we responding? Are we willing to step away from the race of life? Let’s carve out some time on the calendar for divine renewal. Set some spiritual goals. Create a retreat. Pick up a great spiritual book and go away for a day and enjoy some revitalization! I have a seminarian who is living with me at the Cathedral for the summer. He is now on a 30-day silent retreat. That may be a little extreme for most of us, but we can simply create some time that is based on silence. I’m going to say something crazy, but: let’s leave our phones at home. The reality is that no amount of screen time will restore our souls and help us navigate our lives. Less screen time will help us rest in the heart of Jesus.
Not interested in that, how about simply scheduling in time for prayer? Combine it with being active. Go on a walk every day with Jesus. You will be both physically and spiritually healthier. Read the daily scriptures beforehand and discuss them with the Lord as you journey. Or walk to morning mass during the week or maybe on Saturday. Simply attending one more day per week will totally nourish your spirit, and uplift your priest’s spirits as well! It may even give us all a summer spirituality!
God Bless,
Fr. J.J. Mech