Using the Time on Our Hands
Dealing with the pandemic and all the closures of entertainment venues, the main story in the weekly entertainment section of our local newspaper was entitled, “100 Things to Do While inside Due to a Pandemic.”
But what about people searching for God, for us believers and people who aspire to belief? What can we do to use this time wisely?
Both groups, I would bet, are procrastinators when it comes to drawing closer to God. We’re always too busy. Something else always seems more important. The need to “make a living” and taking care of our families always intervene. Pursuing spiritual goals sometimes even takes a back seat to sports, exercise, playing with the kids, walking the dog, watching TV.
Now is the time, even if we’re working from home, when we should have a few extra minutes to think about the things that count, to pray, to read the Bible – in short, time for God. It’s an opportunity.
The words of a psalm come to mind: “If today you should hear his voice, harden not your hearts….”
What are some concrete steps we can take to bolster our faith and enhance our search for God?
- Think. Or if you know how, meditate. Obviously, they’re not the same, but both require mindfulness. And we need to find a quiet place to do either. It doesn’t have to be for a lengthy period, just relax, be quiet and ask yourself the important questions, including, “What’s the purpose of my life?” and “Am I fulfilling it?”
- Pray. I’m not talking about just asking for
stuff nor for a one-time prayer. I’m talking about the range of prayer, including
thanksgiving, praise, contrition and petition. And I’m talking about coming up
with a way to make sure prayer is part of our daily routine, including when we
have to go back to work, resume taking the kids to school or day care, and return
to the gym. Regular prayer is decisive in the search for God.
- And speaking about school or day care, how about
taking advantage of this time to talk to our kids about God? Maybe we think we
don’t know enough about God ourselves to talk intelligently to our kids. We do.
Talk to them in simple terms, and don’t be afraid to tell them there’s lots we
don’t know about God. Be sure to emphasize that God is a loving father/mother
who is always with us and with everybody else, and how that connects to loving
others.
- So if we have doubts about our ability to talk
to our kids about God, how about making improvements in our religious/spiritual
knowledge? We could subscribe to a magazine (I recommend America or Commonweal)
or go online to find reliable sources in theology or biblical studies. Read a
book that strengthens our faith or determination to search for God (We read and
view plenty that does the opposite!) Easy-to-read books I have found impressive
are “Jesus, A Pilgrimage” by James Martin, S.J., a New York Times Bestseller; “The
Great Reformer” by Austen Ivereigh, about the making of Pope Francis; and “Patience
with God” by Tomas Halik. Make a plan to devote time each day for reading of this
kind.
- Attend an on-line Mass or church service.
Especially if we’ve been staying away from church, this may be an opportune
time to see it from a different perspective and with an open mind. Catholics
may be interested in joining on-line the Benedictine monks at Conception Abbey
in Northwest Missouri for Mass and other communal prayers. They can do so at https://www.conceptionabbey.org/live. Or we can Google other churches and synagogues for their on-line services.
- Plan on how to help others, especially the poor. I’ve saved this for last, but it is among the most important. We may pay lip service to concern for the poor, but it’s hard to find God without doing for others. Volunteer at a food bank, a food kitchen, a nursing home, a hospital or other place that needs volunteers. Don’t put this off. Call someplace and put regular helping on your schedule for when this pandemic ends.
Most of what was in the “100 Things to Do” article were a matter of killing time. Don’t kill it; make the best of it. It may wake us up to what we may not have been paying attention to.
