Busy Weekends? Look for an Alternative

One of the odd things about working for the Church is you need to have “alternative weekends.”  Often, church employees work Sundays, and some also work Saturdays, so it is important for them to find other days during the week to take as a “weekend” instead.  It is particularly tricky for priests because they have daily obligations as a function of their vocation.  But, even priests should get a “day off” and vacation time.

Most of us who work for the parish have carved out our alternative weekends.  My weekend is typically Friday and Saturday.  Having worked in an environment that was very emotionally, mentally, and even physically taxing at times, I am pretty protective of my weekends.  Most of my evenings are taken up with a commitment of one kind or another as well, so I need to guard my time off.

In the United States, there is a culture of workaholism.  In order to live the American Dream we feel like we need to work all the time.  The sad part is that people sometimes have to work two or more jobs just to make ends meet.  So, we get in a mindset that if we aren’t working there must be something better to do with our time than just sitting around.  In fact, there is a certain amount of stigma aimed toward those seen to be “slackers” or taking advantage of the system.

The reality is that we live in a culture that glamorizes work to the point of pushing people toward mental and emotional breakdown, and we have developed this mindset in relatively recent decades.  That isn’t healthy.  That isn’t sustainable.  If you look at other cultures, they place value in people for their potential as human beings, not in their employability.  Quality of life is not determined by one’s ability to work, but by one’s opportunities for growth as a whole person.

Faith can be an important aspect of our lives that might be pushed aside in favor of work.  Make sure you are giving yourself the opportunity to rest and recharge.  Remember, Elijah heard God in “a light silent sound” (1 Kings 19:12 NABRE translation) or, as we may be more familiar, “a still small voice” (KJV translation), not in hubbub.  Give yourself a chance to be quiet and attentive to what God is trying to say to you.  If that means finding alternative weekends for yourself, make that a priority.  Your faith, as well as your body and your sanity, will thank you.

Spread Too Thin

I have mentioned before on this blog that I have a talent for being able to remember and recite lines from movies at length.  This week, a particular line from Bilbo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring is coming to mind.  (The line also features in the book, if I recall correctly.)  Bilbo tells Gandalf, the wise old wizard, that he feels “thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”

It is important to know what one’s limits are.  It is equally important to set boundaries so those limits are not exceeded.  Otherwise, one can experience irritability, burnout, and/or exhaustion.  It may seem like this is an especially “grown up” or American problem, what with our culture of “work-aholism”, but it can affect kids just as much.

If kids are involved in a lot of extracurricular activities, going back to school can be tough, because now, they have to juggle being in classes most of the day, homework, and all of the fun things they want to be involved in after school.  Kids can burn out just like adults can, but they don’t necessarily have the same coping mechanisms that adults do.  Therefore, it is the adult’s responsibility to set boundaries and limits for their children.

Keep this in mind as kids finish their first week back at school.

Balancing Work with Prayer

On Monday, we will celebrate Labor Day, a holiday originally intended to celebrate the dignity of the worker.  St. Joseph is, among other things, the patron saint of workers.  He made his living as a carpenter, engaged in manual labor, and he passed on his trade to Jesus.  Jesus took it a step further in his role as the Son of God.

Jesus engaged in the work of conversion through prayer.  He called his apostles from their daily work to a different calling, but one that is still work.  “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men,” He tells them in Matthew 4:19.  It is work to follow Jesus.  It is sacrifice.  The conversion of hearts takes effort, both on the part of the convert and the converter.

The idea that prayer and work go hand in hand has survived through the centuries.  Ora et labora (prayer and work) became the motto of many monasteries as a key component of the Rule of St. Benedict.  His Rule sought to ensure that there was balance in life rather than a tending toward one extreme or the other.

When prayer guides our work, we can be assured that God will have a hand in it somehow.  It may not be in the way we expect, but He is working in and through us.  As we celebrate Labor Day, let us call to mind all those who work with and for us to better our lives.