More Summer Break Time at Work for The Good of Our Souls

Let's keep going. We're taking advantage of some of the "summer respite" that might open up little windows of time during the work day. It's for those of us who do have some let-up during these later days of summer. 

To refresh us regarding the method we suggested last time: Read a short passage of some good spiritual writing. Read it early in the day. Keep it handy and come back to it one or more times during the day. Go back to it and read it again. Meditate on it. (Yes, meditate. Meditations just means thinking or concentrating on the points that grab you in some way. It doesn't have to be lengthy or formal. Just allow the words to penetrate your mind, and through your mind, your soul.) 

Our last offering was pretty meaty. Did you read and re-read, as suggested?

A further suggestion: Consider reading very slowly. When it comes to good spiritual works, St. Philip Neri was a big proponent of this. He thought it best to read slowly and as soon as our spirit is stirred, stop and linger. Really stop. Not just slow down; not pause for a few seconds. Just a dead stop. Then think/meditate on those words. Continue after you feel some satisfaction that you've received some benefit, maybe some inspiration. Reading slowly and pausing gives the words a better chance to find a home deep in your soul. That only happens if you take your time, invite them in, and give them a warm welcome. 

Remember: Read slowly, linger on what stirs your soul. 

One more thing: Every one of us is different. Our souls are unique. So what moves one may not move another. Don't tax yourself by looking for "the best" words or phrases. Let them come to you. You don't find them; they find you.

Here's another passage with enough meat for our purposes. It addresses what our writer calls "vain preoccupation." I think you'll see how and why vain preoccupation is common to most, if not all, of us. Once you know what it is and why it's not good, our writer provides specific suggestions to help us resist or even get rid of it.  

“Vain preoccupation has its source in self-love. Its roots are traceable to an immoderate pursuit of success, fear of an anticipated humiliation, attachment to a special occupation, or apprehension regarding the future or the past. The reasonable forethought which the perfect performance of even material work demands and to which are all obliged, does not, of course, come under the head of vain preoccupation; but disquiet, even in this case, should be suppressed. Such cares have their special times, and forethought and reflection concerning them enter into the obligation of one’s state. But if you are so constituted that you easily give way to this preoccupation, be on the alert and strive against admitting it voluntarily. Reflect for a moment on the following thought: preoccupation is a permanent wrong, inflicted on the power, wisdom, and goodness of God, Who wishes to live and reign in your soul; on the other hand, it leads to ridiculous reliance on your own providence and your own industry. You believe yourself more capable of arranging your destiny than God Himself. Your acts seem to proclaim that Jesus Who died for you, and Who feeds you with His Own Body and Blood, has not heart enough to watch over you and to give you your material bread. Every time you allow fear to possess you regarding a future contingency, you lose all memory of the goodness of God in the past, and you become worse than the Jews in the desert; you complain and you murmur. Once and forever, throw yourself into the arms of Jesus; this will give Him pleasure, and He will take great care of you.” (Fr. Joseph Schryvers, C.SS.R.)

Another suggestion: If you took your time and found those words or phrases or sentences that stirred your soul, you might consider jotting them down. If you do, you can come back to them later, maybe tomorrow, the day after - whatever makes spiritual sense to you. Sometimes I email these to myself and "find them" in my email during the day. Just a suggestion.

So far we've found two special passages for those special summer breaks that may come during these latter days of summer. Maybe we'll post another next week. 

In the meantime, just remember none of this means we slack off in any way from our daily work. We continue to perform our duties diligently and complete our tasks on time. We're simply looking to take what's given us - those extra spaces of time that come with the season - and mold them into something special for our souls.