Fr. Simon's Letter - July 9, 2023

Summer is a time for vacations, backyard barbecues, rest, and relaxation - a time to take it easy. However, most of us end up feeling that there is never enough time - never enough time to do what we feel we should do or what we would like to do. Our time is already too full, and life is too busy.

When we feel overwhelmed by the burden of all that we want to accomplish, let us remember that God is perfectly aware not only of our human limitations but also of how many hours there are in each day and how many days in each week. God would never ask us to do what there isn’t enough time for. If there isn’t time for it, God is not asking for it. So, if not God, who?

Somehow or other, our culture has canonized busyness. We feel burdened by what we must do and the thought of everything we haven't had time or energy to do. We all moan that life is too busy, too hectic. The illusion is that being busy seems virtuous, and not being busy seems a bit lax. We feel important when we can say we’re busy. Many things we do aren't necessary; they only feel necessary. They are only necessary if we choose to be as mad as most other people – if we fall for the advertisers' spiel that, to be anyone, we must possess this, travel there, dress this way, etc. Is it time to be counter-cultural?

Certainly, there are some things we must do, and some of those things can seem like real burdens. But what makes something seem a burden? It is when we prefer to be doing something else. The remedy for that is learning to be totally present in whatever we do. I remember the story of a woman who made beautiful tapestries. When asked about the secret of her skill, she replied: “When I weave, I weave.” When we focus on the now, tasks are not burdensome. When I pray, I pray. When I listen, I listen. When I walk, I walk. When I work, whatever I'm doing, I do that, and I give it my full attention. If we slowed down enough to be present to what we are already doing at any given moment, our minds would not be drawn away from the moment by what we tell ourselves we should be doing. And tasks would not be burdens.

That certainly calls for discipline, but a discipline that need not be stressful. There is all the time in the world for what matters, for what God wants. But we need to take time to discover that truth and convince ourselves of it. The catch is that, to wake up to our busyness, we need to take time to step back from it, and we feel there isn't time to do that. It’s not true. We have all the time we need to take time out to get life into perspective, to reflect, and to pray. If we think we haven’t, who is calling the tune?

Jesus says in today's gospel, "Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.” He didn’t say, come to me, and I will make you busy! On the contrary, he says, “Learn from me… my burden is light.”

Blessings!!