Imagine if we could have a one-day vacation every seven days. Wouldn’t that be refreshing and revitalizing? I met a husband and wife, years ago, that talked about how they planned their weekdays so that they wouldn’t need to do any shopping or other chores on Sunday. They used the day to worship, rest, and enjoy their family and friends. I thought of them as I read through the Winter issue of Imprint, a publication of the Sisters of Life. The title of this most recent issue is Rest, and every article provided me nuggets of wisdom on the importance of rest and leisure for the health of both our bodies and souls.
Our culture has indoctrinated us into believing that we need to be productive all the time, but in reality, God created us with the need to rest. The Sisters explain, “In the act of rest there is a peaceful acknowledgement of one’s limits. No human being can survive without rest; if we try to push through, eventually our body will force us to sleep, whether we like it or not. God gives us only enough energy for one day at a time. God has designed our human lives with natural boundaries and limits, and this is not to hinder us, but it can be a way we remain in a right, dependent relationship to God our loving Father.”
Taking time for leisure affords us the opportunity to enjoy things for their own sake – not to accomplish something. To read a book for enjoyment. To draw, paint, play an instrument, board games, make patterns of footprints in the fresh snow… The Sisters remind us that Jesus consistently points us towards childlikeness. They explain, “Children have a tremendous capacity for play, leisure, and enjoyment; they receive reality with wonder and awe. They live in the present moment. Our culture does not particularly prize these characteristics, and yet within them lies the whole key to happiness.” They also remind us, “timecard punching, laundry, chores, stressful deadlines, to-do lists, buying, and selling are earthly phenomena that will only last as long as this world. Leisure is not for those who have time for it; it is for every human person.”
The most important part of Sunday is dedicating it to God by pausing all other activity in order to attend Mass and receive Jesus in the Eucharist. And then rather than attending to just “check the box,” acknowledging that nothing can be more important than worshipping the God that created you, has given you everything, and loves you inexhaustibly.
Scripture: Read Matthew 18:1-4. What stands out?
Call to Action: If you begin to rest every Sunday, by the end of the year you will accumulate 52 days of vacation! Start today.
Read past issues of Imprint at sistersoflife.org/resources.
