My Retreat at Gloucester
I just got back from making a retreat at Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The retreat house, owned and operated by the Jesuits, is located on a piece of rocky land that juts out into the Atlantic. It is a historic spot. The first European to see Gloucester Bay was the French explorer Samuel de Champlain. In about 1606 he spotted the bay as he sailed down the coast and, in his log, described the huge boulder that still sits at the end of Eastern Point. Champlain didn’t enter the bay for fear of “disturbing the natives.” In time, Gloucester became a great fishing port. Today it is still the home of the Gorton Fish Company. Another local resident who achieved fame and fortune was Clarence Birdseye, who perfected the quick-freezing method for fish and vegetables. (more…)
A Reflection on Labor
As we celebrate another Labor Day in this country, I’d like to share a few words about labor.
Some of us have a very negative attitude toward labor. We traditionally hate Mondays—because it means we have to go back to work. We sing TGIF on Fridays because it means the weekend is coming. But scripture has a more positive and healthy attitude toward work.
In the opening pages of Genesis, for example, we see something quite remarkable: God is working! And what is God doing? God is fashioning the universe. And why is God working? To share God’s love with others. And how does God work? Not angrily or begrudgingly, but joyfully and enthusiastically. After each day’s work, God looks at what he’s created and pronounces it good. After each day’s work, God rests too. And on the seventh day, God takes the whole day off!
In the gospels, Jesus works too. Tradition says he was a carpenter until about age 30 when he began his public ministry, a ministry filled with long hours of preaching, teaching, healing, traveling, and being jostled by throngs of people. But Jesus took time from his busy schedule to pray and to spend time with his apostles and with friends such as Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. In other words, he balanced work with leisure.
Sometimes our attitude toward work is negative because we aren’t balancing work with leisure. To achieve this balance is a real challenge in our fast-paced world, a world where downsizing often means we have more to do at work than ever before. (The fact that you have taken time to read this “spiritual reflection” is a sign that you’re balancing your busy-ness with prayer!)
Or maybe we’re negative toward our work because we’ve lost the WHY of our work. Most of us work first of all to support ourselves and our families. We must never lose sight of this WHY. My Dad was a tool and die maker. He taped the pictures of us four kids inside the lid of his tool chest at work. Why? It was a reminder to him of why he was working so hard. In the end, it all boils down to love!
And finally, to improve our attitude toward work we must connect our work to serving people. A young mother was totally frustrated and exhausted while caring for her baby. She complained to the parish priest, “I’m sick and tired of changing diapers!” He listened compassionately but then said gently, “Next time don’t change the diaper. Change the baby.” Whether we’re writing a report, sitting at a meeting, serving a customer, repairing a car, or mopping the kitchen floor, can we see our work as one small way we are serving others?
This Labor Day my wish for all of us is this: May we see work in a positive light as an expression of our love and service of others. And may we find creative ways to balance our work with rest and play!
What is your attitude toward work? How successful are you with balancing work and leisure?
Elk, Wild Turkeys, and Wolves
Thank you to all who prayed for the retreat at Maggie Valley. It seemed to go well. I thought the men and women who participated were exceptionally wonderful! They really inspired me! And I thoroughly enjoyed the wildlife I saw. Let me tell you about three kinds: elk, wild turkeys, and wolves. (more…)
Spirituality and Mountains
This week I’ll be leading a retreat in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Nestled in the heart of the Smoky Mountains, the retreat center (called Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center) is a lovely place for a retreat. (Check out their website: catholicretreat.org.) The place was the dream of Fr. William Murphy, a Detroit business man who became a priest at age 80! (His story proves you’re never too old to hear a life-altering call from God!) Fr. Murphy converted a hotel into Living Waters retreat center hoping it would become a place for people to pray and “drink in the beauty of the mountains.” (more…)
What I Like about the Olympics
There are many things I like about the Olympics. First of all, I admire the athletes. These individuals have worked extremely hard and trained for years to earn the right to compete in these games. This means they swam laps, ran on a track, lifted weights, rowed a boat, jumped hurdles, swung a tennis racket, rode a horse, or did flips on a four-inch wooden beam virtually every day for years! While most of us were still in bed in the morning, they were at the gym, pool, shooting range, field, or track practicing, practicing, practicing. (more…)
