He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. // Mark 6:31

As the years go by, every summer can seem more stressful than the last. The work piles up; extra hours of light provide extra opportunities for activities, and soon the schedule is so full there is no time to breathe, much less think. Plans that were supposed to give new life become tiring, and it becomes a relief to return to a more normal schedule in August.

Busyness is not a bad thing; however, sometimes our days can become so full we lose ourselves in the hustle and bustle. As the philosopher Josef Pieper writes, “We tend to overwork as a means of self-escape, as a way of trying to justify our existence.” 

There is, however, a better way, a more human way. A Catholic way to spend our time. And summer, with its warm long days, can become a source, not of stress, but of rejuvenation.

What is Leisure?

The answer lies in the word “leisure.” It comes from the French word, leisir, which means “to be permitted.”

Permitted to do what, you ask?

Permitted not to work.

Josef Pieper, in his book Leisure the Basis of Culture, writes, “Leisure is not the attitude of the one who intervenes but of the one who opens himself; not of someone who seizes but of one who lets go, who lets himself go, and ‘go under,’ almost as someone who falls asleep must let himself go . . .” 

There is a surrender to the act of leisure, giving permission not to work, but to receive and contemplate what is received. 

Pieper continues: “The surge of new life that flows out to us when we give ourselves to the contemplation of a blossoming rose, a sleeping child, or of a divine mystery—is this not like the surge of life that comes from deep, dreamless sleep?” 

It is all a matter of participation. Humans are built to be in relationship—with other people, with stories, with places, with things. Leisure is the re-creation and true rest which engages the body, mind, and soul. It is the opposite of busyness and work, or rather, it is the reason why we work. 

Leisure Not Laziness

Leisure should not be confused with laziness. Lazy activities are those in which the person is not receptive, but totally passive: watching TV, scrolling on our phones, etc. These activities can be performed without our participation, allowing us to revert to a vegetable-like state—to “turn off” our brain. To be a couch potato is to be something less than human, as we avoid the engagement and relationship with something or someone. 

Leisure, on the other hand, is activity, a celebration of life and the good within it. It is worship of God by His creation through their own subcreation and acts of wonder.

Roger Scruton writes, “Leisure is not the cessation of work, but work of another kind, work restored to its human meaning, as a celebration and a festival.” 

Leisure can be an act of creation, like painting or playing music, or an intellectual activity, like reading, journaling, or watching a sunset. It is engagement, it is activity, it is a means of worshiping God through our very existence. It is the reason why we work, so that we then may rest and be at leisure with one another.

Leisure as God-oriented

Pieper emphasizes that leisure touches not just the body, but the immortal soul of the person, making it a deeply human act. Divorced from the Divine, leisure becomes simply laziness. He writes: 

“Separated from the sphere of divine worship, of the cult of the divine, and from the power it radiates, leisure is as impossible as the celebration of a feast. Cut off from the worship of the divine, leisure becomes laziness and work inhuman.” 

Hyper-activity and laziness are often symptoms of the same disease: the desire to escape the realities of being human and escape the crisis within our souls. We either  choose to stay busy so there is no time to think or turn off our brains to avoid reflection.

There is a reason God told us to rest on the Sabbath day (see Exodus 20:10). He understood that His creation needs leisure to contemplate His creation and rest in Him. Through leisure, we tap into the truth of who we are as humans, reconnect with the Divine, and rediscover what it means to be children of God.

Recreative Summer

What better time to practice leisure than in the summer, with its long hours and bright sunshine?

There can be the urge to frantically fill our time, whether with work or laziness. Instead, attempt to reconnect with your humanity, through leisure.

Take a long slow walk going nowhere in particular. Pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read. Color with your children. Watch the sunset. Catch a firefly. Host a party for no reason. 

While these activities may not seem productive from the world’s point of view, as Catholics, we are charged to believe in the importance of the pointless, in worship, in the leisurely. We are permitted and encouraged by God, at times, to simply be: “Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10) 

The paradox of leisure is that if we allow ourselves to simply be human, to worship, to celebrate, to create this summer, we will be recreated and rejuvenated, becoming more in touch with our souls, and thereby becoming fully alive as human beings.

My dear sisters in Christ, in the midst of your busy summers, please remember to carve out and guard time for leisure; you will be remade.