Churches Article for Harborough Mail: A spiritual approach to summer relaxation
I was pleased to read that the new Pope has taken a little holiday break at Castel Gandolfo which is a small village on Lake Albano near Rome. The village includes a small Papal residence. Pope Leo cancelled most public engagements in July for rest and relaxation in a quiet place. He also wanted to be able to reflect and pray after the tumultuous weeks since his election as Pope
We all need a break or change to our busy routines even if we cannot get away for a holiday. Having lived abroad I have noticed that the British pace of life is quite relentless, and we find it difficult to be a little lazy and do nothing. We feel guilty if we are not doing something. The summer holiday gives us a chance for more rest and relaxation so that we can restore the balance of our lives a little. A part of this should include being lazy, relaxing with nothing to do. It gives an opportunity to simply be present to ourselves, to our families and to God. We need time to simply “be” whether on our own or with our family. I remember that was one positive aspect of the Covid Summer simply taking time to be quiet and to “be” sitting in the sun.
Times of quiet are an important part of our summer rest and recuperation. I am sure that Pope Leo sought relief from the noise of Rome in Castel Gandolfo. Noise is everywhere. Whether it comes from our surroundings or from our phones, radios, and television. So many of the people I see walking around have headphones on them listening to music or podcasts. It is fruitful to take a time of quiet with our devices switched off. A bit of quiet is very enriching. People fear silence as something empty or barren. For Christians it is quite the opposite. Silence opens us up to presence. The presence of ourselves, of others and of course God. I wonder how comfortable are we with ourselves? Can we simply “be” with ourselves without noise? Spending silent moments with others is important too. I came across an article on Monastic silence recently and some words stayed with me. “You can't love anything without silence”. The most enriching quiet that we can experience is spending quiet time with God in prayer. I find the best means of summer rest and recuperation is prayer. To spend some time in the presence of God silently just opening our hearts to him with a little passage from the Gospels to help us. Letting ourselves be loved by God. This is by far the best form of sunbathing!
Fr Chris O’Connor
Parish Priest
Our Lady of Victories, Market Harborough