Recreation

Brookline Carmel Bulletin J M J T

May 1, 1960

Cogitatio Sancta

(Holy Meditation)

Recreation

It might seem, at first glance, that this subject has no place in our little series of discourses on the spiritual life. The spiritual life is concerned primarily, of course, with the soul. Yet we must never forget that the soul is substantially united to the body, and that both soul and body need the proper amount of attention if a healthy spiritual life is to be maintained and developed. It would be wrong to give all one’s attention to the body, to the neglect of the soul. It would be equally wrong to consider ourselves as pure spirits, to the neglect of the body. The body is made to serve the soul, but in order to serve most effectively it must have its basic needs satisfied – those basic needs that God Himself has implanted in it.

As Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen explains it, every one requires certain “natural comforts.” As physical energy is expended, it must be replenished by food; nervous energy must be replenished by sleep; mental energy must be replenished by some form of recreation. God has placed within us certain appetites, which lead us to replenish these various types of energy. These appetites, like all our desires, must be regulated so as to conform to God’s will. The virtue of temperance is of particular importance here, restraining our many appetites so that they do not seek their objects to excess – so that we do not eat too much, sleep too much, recreate too much. But the virtue of justice also comes into play, insisting that we satisfy each appetite to a reasonable degree – so that we eat enough, sleep enough, recreate enough. The balance is maintained by the wonderful virtue of prudence, which enables us to avoid all unreasonable extremes.

As we satisfy our appetites, a certain pleasure ensues. This pleasure is our reward, so to speak, for satisfying our God-given appetites in accordance with God’s will. Pleasure is not an end in itself, but it can serve to help us to do God’s will more readily and easily. As we go along doing God’s will, we can expect to experience now pleasure, now suffering, now indifference – often a combination of all three. But if we strive to remove all pleasure from our life (through a false notion of penance and mortification), we will upset the balance and find ourselves in trouble. St. John of the Cross urges us to renounce any pleasure which offers itself to our senses, but he adds the very important qualification, “if it be not for the glory of God.” Much of the pleasure we encounter in life does redound to the glory of God and is, therefore, not only legitimate but desirable.

What Father Gabriel calls “mental energy” must be replenished by recreation in some form. The various faculties, which we generally refer to as the “mind”, are more or less directly dependent upon the body, i.e., the brain. Recreation is, however, more a psychological than a physical refreshment. The Church, realizing the necessity of recreation, insists that religious orders allow their members some form of diversion. Thus Carmelite nuns have two hours a day of recreation in common. The friars have one hour a day throughout the year and an additional hour during the period from Easter to September 14^th. The Tertiary must seek some form of respectable recreation, according to the various circumstances in which he lives. Like all our activities, it should be offered to God. The little prayer said at the beginning of the Carmelite recreation expresses it thus: “Grant me the grace that this exercise (recreation) may serve me for continuing the works of Thy service with more courage and fervor.” A recreation properly spent will leave the individual refreshed so that he may devote himself once more to the service of God in its more serious aspects. Yet the recreation itself should also be given to God. It should be interspersed with occasional acts of the presence of God and, as much as possible, should be pervaded with an awareness of His closeness. We should learn to share our recreation with God – to turn to Him in our joys as well as in our sorrows – to make Him a part of our pleasant experiences. He should preside over our recreation, as He does over our other activities. Our Lord performed His first public miracle, at Mary’s behest, to enable the guests at the wedding feast to continue their wholesome rejoicing – their decent recreation.

<<<home page

index>>>

* * * * * * * * * * *

MISSION STATEMENT: This web site was created for the purpose of completing the work of Fr. Bruno Cocuzzi, O.C.D These conferences may be reproduced for private use only. Publication of this material is forbidden without permission of the Father Provincial for the Discalced Carmelites, Holy Hill, 1525 Carmel Rd., Hubertus, WI 53033-9770.