Recreational Activities to Make Your Summer Vacation Really Special
(Originally posted July 1, 2014)
Here are some final thoughts about special recreational activities we Catholics can engage in during summer (or any other) vacations.
For those of you already in the habit of reading some Scripture, some spiritual works, and studying your Holy Faith each day, be sure to keep this up while on vacation. If it seems like the sort of "work" you're trying to get away from on vacation, may I suggest that you may be approaching your spiritual disciplines the wrong way to begin with - a subject perhaps for another day. The important point here is that such reading and studying ought not to be thought of as a kind of grinding dutiful activity from which one seeks relief. You won't get much benefit from plowing through these activities as some sort of burdensome obligation.
For now, I leave you with a simple illustration of why you should keep up with your spiritual discipline as best you can during your vacation. I draw this example from the day before we returned from our recent vacation. As I downloaded Ezechiel Book 7 on my smartphone (you don't even have to drag your Bible or other books with you on vacation these days) to continue my ongoing daily reading, I was feeling a kind of sadness at the looming end of our brief week's respite, far from home - and work. In this frame of mind, the following words from Ezechiel jumped out at me:
My recommendation to you is to do the same. We've seen two clear examples of how recreation might not only refresh, but "re-create" your life while you're on vacation, both in the present moment (in your daily reading and study) and on a more grand scale (reading Chesterton). I hope you find these suggestion helpful when you take your vacation this summer.
Here are some final thoughts about special recreational activities we Catholics can engage in during summer (or any other) vacations.
For those of you already in the habit of reading some Scripture, some spiritual works, and studying your Holy Faith each day, be sure to keep this up while on vacation. If it seems like the sort of "work" you're trying to get away from on vacation, may I suggest that you may be approaching your spiritual disciplines the wrong way to begin with - a subject perhaps for another day. The important point here is that such reading and studying ought not to be thought of as a kind of grinding dutiful activity from which one seeks relief. You won't get much benefit from plowing through these activities as some sort of burdensome obligation.
For now, I leave you with a simple illustration of why you should keep up with your spiritual discipline as best you can during your vacation. I draw this example from the day before we returned from our recent vacation. As I downloaded Ezechiel Book 7 on my smartphone (you don't even have to drag your Bible or other books with you on vacation these days) to continue my ongoing daily reading, I was feeling a kind of sadness at the looming end of our brief week's respite, far from home - and work. In this frame of mind, the following words from Ezechiel jumped out at me:
And end is come, the end is come, it hath awaked against thee; behold it is come.Jolted by these stark, dramatic words, reinforcing my borderline dread of returning from a wonderfully relaxing vacation filled with renewing recreation, my eyes then fell on this as I turned to Psalm 17:
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength: The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer. My God is my helper, and in him will I put my trust. My protector and the horn of my salvation, and my support...Had I set aside my usual reading, neglected these few minutes of spiritual enrichment and enlightenment because I wanted to "get away" from my reading and study on my vacation, these striking and consoling words - words inspired by God the Holy Spirit Himself - would never have embraced my soul that day. Suddenly, in the midst of sadness, came a taste of hope and even of joy. How blessed I was to have remembered to keep up with my reading and study during our vacation!
My recommendation to you is to do the same. We've seen two clear examples of how recreation might not only refresh, but "re-create" your life while you're on vacation, both in the present moment (in your daily reading and study) and on a more grand scale (reading Chesterton). I hope you find these suggestion helpful when you take your vacation this summer.
Comments