The world seems to be divided between those who have too much to do and no time to do it, and those who have too much time on their hands and don't know how to use it. Some people cultivate stress as a strategy for getting through life, others take refuge in apathy, others relapse into boredom.
Summer is time for a break. A chance to relax, for those who are stressed. A chance to get away from the humdrum routine of life for those who are bored. A combination of economic factors has allowed us this chance - at least for those of us who are affluent members of an affluent society.
But what of those who are not affluent? Another combination of factors has left millions in southern Africa facing starvation. Yet another combination of factors has filled the streets in Argentina (to take just one example) with beggars. The message that summer is a time to relax will fall on deaf ears in the refugee camps in Gaza, in the border villages of Kashmir, in the slums of Caracas and Calcutta, in the areas laid waste by war or by natural disaster.
Let us escape from this reality for a moment. God is never stressed, and God "never slumbers nor sleeps", as the pilgrims sang when they "lifted up their eyes to the hills". Psalm 121 is rich with the comfort that this knowledge can give us.
God never sleeps, and so we too should never stop leading our lives in God's service. In Old Testament times, this led to people trying to do more and more to please God - to "the yoke of the Law", "heavy burdens, hard to bear," said Jesus (Mat 23:4). Jesus offered rest. "Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
Jesus' law is not difficult, like the Law of the scribes and Pharisees, but easy to learn. It is the law of love, of the knowledge of God, of true wisdom.
So on one level we can talk of true rest and peace for our souls, while on another level we talk of war, suffering, deprivation and hardship.
But we do not live in two worlds which never meet. This is the message of the Incarnation, that God's will can be done not only in heaven, but also on earth. And so, as we go off to relax on the strands of Tenerife or wherever, let us give some thought to how we can share our own rest with the many millions who, in this world, have no rest and no peace.
One opportunity for this is through prayer, as long as we remember that prayer is a bridge between the two worlds, and needs to be firmly rooted in actions and attitudes in this world on earth. But if we can, we should act, even if only by giving support to those people who are on the spot and able to give practical help. Like the Good Samaritan, we need to love our neighbours in our attitudes and in our actions. This is what being one body is all about.
HD