The sight of trash bags filled with leaves lining street curbs reminds me of a story that I heard years ago: that one day the Lord sent St. Francis of Assisi down to Earth to see how folks were doing. Upon the saint’s return, he told God that he was quite disappointed and was especially perplexed over the behavior of some people.
The saint reported that people seemed to be creating a lot of needless work for themselves. Rather than allowing the leaves that fell from trees to decompose so they could provide much needed nutrients for the soil, they raked or blew them into piles for disposal. Then they went to the store and purchased multiple bags of mulch to do what you had provided for them through nature.
While I’m not about to dispute the pros and cons of clearing dead leaves from yards, the story invites a broader and more important question for reflection about needless activity. It doesn’t necessarily mean the activities are bad in themselves, but unless we monitor the purpose and the amount of time we devote to certain activities, they can be an impediment to our spiritual well-being. Streamlining time devoted to watching television, surfing the internet, exercising or engaging in hobbies merits honest assessment because the things we enjoy doing, while good in themselves, can become an obsession.
Recreation, being physically healthy and staying informed are important, but too much of any good thing can hinder the pursuit of more worthwhile objectives. We might ask ourselves: Am I spending as much time improving my spiritual health as I am working toward improving my physical health or my professional acumen?
Extremes are never healthy, which makes striving for balance an important part of daily living. Prayerful discernment is imperative for anyone who is striving to live a purposeful life while seeking to balance one’s commitment to God, self, family and work.
Some might argue that all our activities can be prayer. That point is well taken, but it reminds me of another anecdote. It involves a young novice who asked the novice master if it was all right to smoke while he prayed.
As you might imagine, the prior said, “Absolutely not. When you pray you must focus all your attention on God.”
After thinking it over, the novice then asked, “Well then, is it all right to pray while I smoke?”
Humor aside, the lesson is clear. Prayer is not a bargaining chip to be used for our own purposes.
In order for all we do to be prayer, daily activities must flow from the time we set aside to be alone with God, who helps us live a holistic and well-balanced life. For many Catholics, that may involve beginning our day with a Morning Offering, but I submit that for such noble aspirations to carry us through the day, we must spend at least a few moments in prayerful dialogue with God, seeking to know and to do God’s will throughout the day.
Like any relationship that we value, communication is necessary. The more time we spend in prayer, the deeper our intimacy with God will become, and the more we will come to appreciate our dependance on God for every good thing we do.
Since we can’t see or hear God with our physical senses, it’s important to develop a spiritual sensitivity. That happens over time when we make it a priority to be still so that we can hear the voice of God in the quiet of our hearts. There are no shortcuts to holiness nor to deepening our relationship with God, for all such efforts are the result of grace.
The fact is: God’s grace is ever present. It may come in the form of a gentle reproach, a word of encouragement, something we read, or as a resolution to do better after taking a wrong turn. The Good News is that where there is faith, there is also hope, for one cannot exist without the other.
And where there is faith and hope, there is love. Perhaps we could say that the converse is also true, which is that where there is love, there is also faith and hope, hidden though those virtues may sometimes be, for no matter how far or how often we fail, God’s mercy is much greater.
In a vision that St. Faustina was granted, Jesus told her, “My heart overflows with great mercy for souls, especially for poor sinners.” Therefore, we remain hopeful as we strive to use our time wisely, pray frequently and trust in the mercy of God, who never stops drawing us to himself not only on Earth, but also in heaven.