For Catholics around the world, the start of the summer season marks a shift in the patterns of our religious lives. With June already behind us, it’s important to take this time to embrace our relationship with Christ and our loved ones, and to experience this time of regeneration to its very fullest.
But where do we begin?
Faith-based regeneration affects us at our core—when we take the time to recenter our minds on the reasons we worship, we become closer to Christ as we remind ourselves of the purposes behind why we pray and why we observe the Catholic traditions.
Keeping Up with Religious Obligations
With the summer season in full swing, temperatures are rising and work or school schedules may become significantly lighter than in other periods of the year. And while the summer season is certainly an important opportunity for relaxation and rejuvenation, maintaining a regular schedule for prayer and worship is essential to religious regeneration.
For families with children, finding the time for religious observation can be difficult, especially during the summer season. But failure to practice this essential element of our Catholic faith puts us at risk of deteriorating our own relationship with Christ.
When we put in the effort to carve out time in our busy, hectic lives of managing a home, a career, and a family, we set ourselves up for the establishment of life-long prayer and reflection habits that will serve to strengthen our faith throughout our lives.
Below are a few simple tips for finding the time for prayer during this busy time of the year, and how to take advantage of this period of regeneration and growth in our love and appreciation of Christ.
Collect Your Favorite Summer Themed Prayers
There are prayers for every feeling and every time, like the below adaption of a summer solstice prayer:
“Jesus, thank you for Summer. Thank you for light and warmth. Thank you for the sun. Thank you for the gifts of nature and for the annual cycles and seasons. Today, give us that grace again, to see you as the Creator, the One who lifts us up to be with you forever, even now.”
– Source Unknown; Adapted by Bill Huebsch
Make Prayer a Family Activity
Inviting your loved ones to worship and praise the Lord alongside you can fill your heart with warmth when you need it most. If you have young children at home, try to incorporate prayer or reflection time into common “cool-down” periods, such as after dinner or before bedtime.
Reevaluate Your Obligations and Priorities
When it comes down to it, prayer is a religious obligation—it serves as an essential building block of the foundation of Catholic identity. Without it, we lose a crucial component of our relationship with and understanding of God’s mercy and compassion.
When you find yourself not having the time to pray or reflect during the summer season, make an attempt to reevaluate current non-religious obligations, and try to prioritize prayer during this time.