Adult Education: September 2011

The Busy Days of September

By Lorene Hanley Duquin

It's September, and that means parish life is gearing up again. It's an exciting time, but it's also a time that we need to remind ourselves that working in a parish as a staff member or a volunteer can be hazardous to our spiritual lives!

It might sound strange — especially since most of us entered into parish leadership with a burning desire to serve God and God's people. The reality, however, is that it is very easy for people in ministry to lose their spiritual bearings in the activities of parish life.

Sometimes we get caught up in our own agendas and don't see the big picture.

Sometimes we behave badly with people who irritate us.

Sometimes we hold on to anger and resentments.

Sometimes we try to control what is happening and don't recognize that the Lord is trying to move us in another direction.

Sometimes we feel tired and burned out, but we try to keep going instead of taking the time we need to let the Lord restore and refresh us.

The good news is that we can avoid these hazards by following the example of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a young Carmelite nun, who never left the cloister, but became a great saint by doing "little things with great love." She called it her "Little Way" because it does not require any great accomplishments. It is a way of life that is grounded in the ordinary.

St. Thérèse saw each aspect of daily life as a gift. She understood that she had a choice as to how she was going to live each minute of each day.

She chose to live her life with love, and to offer everything to Jesus.

We can make the same personal commitment. Here are some ideas on how we can incorporate the spirituality of St. Thérèse into our parish activities and ministries:

We can avoid getting caught up in our own agenda by offering everything that we think, say and do to the Lord.

We can keep a check on irritability by asking God to make us an instrument of his love to other people — especially those who irritate us.

We can let go of anger and resentments by offering all of our frustration to the Lord.

We can set aside a little extra time each day to listen to how the Lord is leading us.

We can recognize that no matter how busy we are, we need to take time for prayer — even if we have to schedule prayer breaks throughout our busy days.

The "Little Way" of St. Thérèse of Lisieux is so simple, and yet it requires commitment on our part. September is the perfect time to make that commitment. It could be just what you need to take your involvement in the parish into a whole new direction.