The sight of children boarding yellow buses is as synonymous with the start of a new school year as green is to the heralding of spring. Although children may mourn the demise of lazier days, many adults welcome the change.
Transitions can be moments of grace, so if you’re tempted to shift from one busy schedule to another by tackling to-do projects that have been put on hold during the summer months, allow me to suggest another approach.
A change in routine is a good time to pause and appreciate the lull as an invitation from God to rest, reflect and reset priorities. Taking time to quietly savor moments of silence reminds us that silence is never a void when it is filled with God.
Even if you’re not a parent, September offers an opportunity to reevaluate how we spend time, one of our most precious commodities. How we use our time requires thoughtful and prayerful consideration.
According to Scripture, the most important commandments are: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Lk 10: 27).
In reflecting on this imperative, we might ask ourselves: How much time do I spend with God and with my neighbor? Do I give them more or less time than I devote to myself? And how can I love them unless I spend time with them?
If we begin the day running – literally or figuratively – we can easily do so with little thought of God, who has given us another day to prepare to be with him for all eternity.
Early in the morning, as I spend time in prayer, I delight in hearing birds outside my window serenading their Creator. Leaves gently blowing in the breeze remind me that all of nature continually sings the glory of God. Whether in the form of a mighty wind, an earthquake, or rising flood waters, elements of nature respond to something greater than themselves. They have no say in the matter.
Human beings have been gifted with the ability to decide what they will or will not do. We have the ability to say “no” to God. We may not verbalize it or even do so intentionally, but every time we choose to love ourselves more than God and more than our neighbor, this is what we’re saying.
The good news is that we also have the ability to reflect on our choices, repent and strive to live a more God-centered life. How we do this will depend on our gifts and how we use them. Life circumstances can alter our ability to share our gifts, but they can also serve as an excuse to hoard them.
It seems to me that September is an excellent time to reflect, repent, and resolve to give more of ourselves. One way to do this is by taking to heart the call to serve.
Fall is a great time to consider helping out as a catechist in parish religious education programs. Volunteering to be a reader, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, or to sing in a choir are ways that not only benefit the parish community, but contribute to our being an active participant at Mass.
Offering to be a sponsor for someone seeking to learn more about the Catholic faith is another way to share our faith with someone and strengthens our own faith. Like the prophets of old who answered, “Here I am, Lord” and “Send me” – we are being called. What will our answer be?
It’s easy to become complacent and look the other way, but where would we be if the saints upon whose shoulders we stand had decided they had better ways to spend their time? When I find myself mindlessly surfing the web or watching news that is more opinion than fact, I’m reminded that my time could be better spent by turning to God.
Such nudges of conscience help me refocus my attention. One thing is certain: God never stops inviting us to reevaluate and reconnect so that our life, love, and yes, even our leisure will be spent for his honor and glory.