News flash: Vacation is good for the soul and the heart. Rest my friends, is not a four letter word. Well, it is, but it’s not the kind you need to avoid or go to Confession for. In a culture that values people by what they produce, leisure has fallen out of favor, and sadly, it has had a negative effect on marriage and family life. An Oxford University- Ipsos Group study conducted a few years ago for the U.S. Travel Association shows that while companies have increased personal time off for employees, workers are not taking advantage of it, leaving almost a full week unused. Immigrants experience this phenomenon differently. While time off may be available, workers tend to fill their days with multiple part-time jobs to get ahead, making time off for vacation nearly impossible. If that’s not the case, companies who tend to employ recent arrivals are notorious for denying immigrant workers time off, a social justice issue to be sure. Regardless of the type of work men and women do, time off for rest is an absolute necessity. There is something deeply religious and theological about taking time off. First, it places us in the right relationship with God. We are human beings, limited creatures, not machines who can work without proper rest. We should get a clue about the importance of rest, from our Lord’s admonition to observe the Sabbath. Next, taking time off gives married couples and their families much needed time for bonding. Lack of time together is frequently given as a cause for marital stress and distress. Where there is marital distress, children suffer. Time off also gives individuals and couples time to pray and to pursue faith strengthening and enriching activities that also strengthens their marriage bond. Ways to combine vacation and spiritual growth 1. Plan to attend Holy Mass wherever you go on vacation. One of the benefits of being Catholic, is that there are Catholic Churches EVERYWHERE. Find the Cathedral in the town you visit for a historical treat! 2. Include a tour of historic churches wherever you go. The Catholic Church has a long history in the United States and everywhere in the world. Seek out the oldest worship spaces for a walk into the past. 3. If you happen to be in my home state of Texas… go on a tour of the Painted Churches. 4. Use two days of vacation (or your weekend) to attend a married couple’s or family retreat. 5. Go on a Pilgrimage to one of 100+ holy sites in the United States. There may be one near you or a day’s trip away.
Cheap Stay-cation ideas A popular solution to the high costs of fuel, airfare and hotels, is the ever popular vacation at home. These vacations actually take some time to plan for them to work for everyone in the family. Unfortunately, the person who does most of the cooking, cleaning, and dishwashing in a family, is at risk of not having a vacation at all if it this is not planned correctly. Here are some ideas that will help your stay at home vacation feel like a vacation for everyone in the house. 1. Go to mass weekly to your home parish, or visit other Catholic Churches in your area. Don’t go on a vacation from Jesus! 2. Meals: Set aside days of ordering out and purchase frozen meals from the frozen food section at the market for other days. Use disposable paper goods and plastic cutlery to keep the dishwasher happy. No cleaning the house or washing clothes during a vacation at home! No work either! 3. Make a plan for simple trips to places in your city or nearby cities that you can accomplish in one day round trip. What’s within 120-150 miles of your home? 4. Make a pledge to keep smart phone, TV, and computer use down to a minimum. This is probably one of the hardest parts of any vacation nowadays, but it is especially challenging with vacations at home, especially if you are used to your device for entertainment. Remember, vacations are for bonding and for building memories together as a family. Replace time with your devices with face to face time playing board games, outdoor sports activities (swimming, tennis, bike riding) or on your favorite family hobby. 5. Create a schedule and try your best to stick to it, while remaining flexible to the needs of your family. Teenagers need to be reminded that your vacation at home means you get up early to accomplish whatever activity you have planned for the day. That is of course, unless you deliberately schedule a sleep-in pajama day as part of your vacation at home which can be a blast. Whether you stay at home or travel to some far away destination this summer, remember to stay close to your loved ones, and even closer to Jesus.