Even in our fast-paced world, summer remains a season when we all may slow down, rest, and reflect on the hopes God has for us.
We each have plans and priorities that may easily be set aside as we grapple with the daily demands and responsibilities of our lives. It is natural to spend time reflecting on God’s goodness and what he wants for us as we enjoy the change of pace that comes with summer. We all stand to benefit from a recovery of leisure, in this season and throughout the year.
Josef Pieper, a German philosopher and writer, offers us a good and short book that we may consider for our summer reading lists. His 1948 book “Leisure: The Basis of Culture” is a classic that has helped readers of all ages. Pieper helps us see that leisure is not idleness or laziness. In fact, leisure is essential to happiness in this life and the next. Leisure is described as “an attitude of the mind and a condition of the soul that fosters a capacity to perceive the reality of the world.” Leisure is the disposition that allows us to grow and to learn. Pieper calls leisure “the basis of culture” because the word traces its roots to the Greek “skole,” which became the Latin “schola,” which became the English “school.” This is why true leisure means true contemplation and a true openness to think about and see the world with ever youthful and receptive spirit.
Leisure transforms us and draws us closer to the Lord. How often do we fall into the trap of defining ourselves by our productivity? We equate busyness with importance, leaving little room for the stillness that allows God to speak to our hearts. A strong work ethic is very good, but we always must remember that the purpose of work is our material and spiritual health and happiness. When we exaggerate the importance of work, we risk neglecting the importance of contemplative rest. Leisure is not a luxury but a necessity for the human soul, a space where we trust in God’s providence and open ourselves to his abundant gifts.
What God wants for each of us is the freedom to grow in relationship with him and in our practice of the virtues that will lead to happiness. A culture that prioritizes constant work above all else effectively promotes not productivity but acedia, because it eliminates the natural desire to know the truth — a desire that leads by God’s grace to contemplation, growth and happiness. When our lives are consumed by work, we eventually lose the capacity to rest and renew ourselves. When a whole society is consumed by ceaseless and always apparently important demands, its people lose their ability to see God’s world as it is. They forget that their lives are gifts and that our mutual needs are not burdens but opportunities to love and serve one another.
Leisure has a fundamentally spiritual character. Leisure is an interior disposition, a readiness to receive God’s grace, a humble willingness to learn the truth of the world through God’s signs and wonders in everyday life and especially on holy days. When we keep the Sabbath holy and sanctify it to the rest God desires for us, we practice a leisure which is active and fruitful. The Lord’s Day is not simply a break from work but a time to lift our hearts to God in worship, to contemplate his goodness, and to rest in his love.
We should make every effort to avoid needless work on Sundays and to practice true leisure. Together, we can reclaim moments of leisure, perhaps by sharing one day each week without the intrusion of screens, or by praying the rosary as a household before or after a shared meal, or by making personal time for prayer and spiritual readings. We must ask God for the courage to recover leisure, no matter how much work may presently dominate our lives.
As we navigate the demands of this life, may we heed Pieper’s call to embrace true leisure. May we commit time to rest in God, to affirm the goodness of his creation, and to worship him with open hearts. In doing so, we will renew our spirits and bear witness to his glory in a world that desperately needs Christ’s peace.
