what is leisure, anyway?
Except the LORD build the house, |
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We are made to be people of leisure. But what is leisure, really?
Leisure is not an escape from reality. Leisure is an intentional attitude towards reality, in which we are aware that God is continually present to us in every aspect of our day-to-day lives. It is the realization that whether we feel God's presence or not, or even if we feel like recognizing God in our lives, we must "pause to delight in God's generous gift of love for each of us, and to allow him to tutor us in the meaning and purpose of our lives. In the words of St. Jane Frances de Chantel 'We should concentrate not so much on the work that God does in us as on the God who does the work in us." (from The Catechetical Review Review, April-June, 2020)
True leisure is not, actually, laying around in a constant state of "chilling out." Real leisure is the opposite of one of the Big 7 Vices, namely that of Sloth, or acedia. Does the word "sloth" make you think of Pig Pen in Charlie Brown? Of a person who just can't seem to wrangle in enough self-discipline to clean and organize their room/refrigerator/car/house/ or life in general? Or someone who sleeps all day and has no drive? If so, then it might surprise you to know that Sloth is shown by two attitudes - being a workaholic (I'm too busy) or being apathetic (I'm too bored and uninterested). Both of these attitudes end up doing the same thing - squeezing God out of our lives, so that we take our gaze off of God and place it squarely on ourselves. These two attitudes drive leisure out of our lives.
Leisure is not an escape from reality. Leisure is an intentional attitude towards reality, in which we are aware that God is continually present to us in every aspect of our day-to-day lives. It is the realization that whether we feel God's presence or not, or even if we feel like recognizing God in our lives, we must "pause to delight in God's generous gift of love for each of us, and to allow him to tutor us in the meaning and purpose of our lives. In the words of St. Jane Frances de Chantel 'We should concentrate not so much on the work that God does in us as on the God who does the work in us." (from The Catechetical Review Review, April-June, 2020)
True leisure is not, actually, laying around in a constant state of "chilling out." Real leisure is the opposite of one of the Big 7 Vices, namely that of Sloth, or acedia. Does the word "sloth" make you think of Pig Pen in Charlie Brown? Of a person who just can't seem to wrangle in enough self-discipline to clean and organize their room/refrigerator/car/house/ or life in general? Or someone who sleeps all day and has no drive? If so, then it might surprise you to know that Sloth is shown by two attitudes - being a workaholic (I'm too busy) or being apathetic (I'm too bored and uninterested). Both of these attitudes end up doing the same thing - squeezing God out of our lives, so that we take our gaze off of God and place it squarely on ourselves. These two attitudes drive leisure out of our lives.
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God calls each person to a pilgrimage back to himself. God shares our journey...each pilgrimage is unique but not alone. |
work or play? both!
Christianity challenges the idea that leisure is what we do instead of work, or only after work, or is reserved for a privileged few who "make it" out of the need to work. Leisure and work are seamless aspects of our nature - we are both spiritual and material. They go together. For humans, separating the spiritual and the material very quickly results in one thing - death. The spirit of leisure invites us to seek God, and recognize where he is walking with us and guiding our families, so that we can learn to live a balanced life of dignified work that does not consume or define us, on the one hand, nor bore and depress us, on the other. An attitude of leisure gives us time to know and befriend God, so that we find our identity in being sons and daughters of God.
leisure is refreshing and reminding
Be still and know that I am God. |
We need leisure for peaceful prayer and reflection. Prayer is essential, because it is how we come to know God and reflection leads to self-knowledge and intentionality, to keep us from wandering aimlessly or without purpose. Leisure allows for the good ordering of life. It puts us on the road that leads to our ultimate happiness.
This year, reflect more on the spirit of Christian leisure and how it can help you to find God. To help you in your journey, we have posted some books to read, new art forms to try, ways to pray and more on the Summer 2020 Fun! page, or on any of the monthly pages. For further reading: Leisure - God's Plan for Us The Spirit of Leisurely Catholicism Leisure in the Life of the Christian |
