Leisure: The Basis of Culture

It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. - Psalm 127:2

I am two weeks in to my discernment year, and I must say that I love it. I feel so comfortable here. I love having the time to pray and sit with our Lord so that I can hear His voice clearly and discern His will for my life. I love the work that I am doing and the people who I am with. I feel like I have learned so much about myself, but believe it or not, the thing I have learned the most so far is the importance of rest.

As a youth minister, I felt like I was always on the go, getting ready for the next project, and my mind was always planning for what was to come. I had a hard time living in the moment. My brain would be in either evaluation mode of what had happened in the past or anticipation of what's to come. I can't say that I've perfected the art of loving in the present moment, but I am certainly feeling the peace that comes with pausing and taking in what's going on around me.

When people ask me how I'm doing, I have been able to respond with, "I get better sleep than I have gotten in a long time, and I am learning how to rest!" The community here purposely has days of rest to be away from working so that we can pray, recharge, and just enjoy one another's company. That may seem like a funny thing to learn here when I have access to so many resources and the opportunity to dive in to deeper theology and traditions of the Church. But learning how to truly rest can be harder than mastering the Summa Theologica!

I ordered this book, Leisure: The Basis of Culture, during the pandemic at the recommendation of Fr. Connor Danstrom, and it was one of just a few books I brought here with me. I'm glad it made the cut list! The premise is that "Leisure is not idleness, but an attitude of the mind and a condition of the soul that fosters receptivity to both physical and spiritual realities. Leisure allows time for contemplation of things, including the nature of God." I am learning that rest is a gift from God to be received. When I refuse to take time to rest in favor of being busy and constantly in action, I am denying Him the opportunity to shower me with something that He wants to give me out of love - and I miss out on the opportunity to just be with Him.

The world is loud and constantly in motion. The love of God and the rest that we receive in His arms are unique gifts that we can't get anywhere else. The world will keep on moving, and I have no doubt that when I'm done with rest, the world will not have ended because I didn't get that last thing in my checklist done. And having recharged during that rest, I will come back more equipped to attack whatever mission He has planned for me.

So bottom line, you don't need to constantly be in action. In fact, it's good to stop and receive the greatest, most valuable gift of all, which is to spend time in leisure with God the Father.