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When I was in seminary, every spring as we were preparing to disembark for our summer holiday, the rector would gather us together and give us the “don’t take a vacation from your vocation” talk. The core of the message was “just because you are not in seminary, doesn’t mean you are not a seminarian.” In the course of the talk, the rector would emphasize the importance of keeping up our prayer life, spiritual reading, study and formation during the summer and not letting the care-free days of summer get the best of us. We were encouraged to set some goals for ourselves, such as a summer spiritual reading list, and a pattern of prayer to follow to help keep us on track and not lose all the progress we had made during the school year. The farther along I moved in seminary, and now into priesthood, the more I realized the importance of those talks.

We all need time to rest and relax, and summer has received a reputation for just that. You know the song — “Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer…” But as we enter summer time, it may seem that we have only found the crazy part of this season of recreation. All this extra fun often takes extra time as well. Weddings, graduation parties, cookouts, and trips to the lake all seem to bring with them more than simply relaxation. There is organizing, packing, travel time, unpacking, laundering and making up for time away from home and the office. Sometimes it takes more effort to relax than it does to work.

And where does this leave our spiritual life? Sadly, sometimes in the midst of all this added relaxation, among the first things to slip can be our prayer. When we step out of our daily routine of life at home, we don’t always give the same care to rejuvenating our souls as we do to our bodies. Our daily prayer life can fall to the wayside or we might find ourselves not attending Mass as we normally do. We must all remember that summer is not a time for a vacation from our vocation. As Christians, we are called to live a life of prayer, both personal and communal — summer, winter, spring and fall. While the carefree days of summer ought to be a time to let go of some of life’s stresses and concerns, spend time with family and friends, get some fresh air and soak up some sun, it should not be a time to let go of our faith life. Our souls need nourishment and care too.

So what are some practical approaches to nurturing our spiritual lives this summer? For starters, we could use some of our vacation time for spiritual reading. Have you been meaning to read more from the scriptures? How about taking your bible with you to the lake and reading from the gospels? Perhaps read one of Jesus’ parables and spend the drive home contemplating it. Or maybe pick up a book on the life of a saint you have wanted to learn more about. There are countless books on the faith out there — one for each person. Every summer, I personally make out a summer reading list for myself. I try to combine many of my interests and have a few going at any given time – some spiritual, some literature and some history.

Another way to keep your prayer life on track during the summer is to keep connected to Mass. When you are going to be traveling to a new place, look ahead to see where the nearest church is and what time Masses are. There is a great internet resource at www.masstimes.org, which lists Catholic Churches across the country and their schedule of Masses and location. Take time while you are basking in the sun to praise and thank God for the gifts of summer and the chance to relax and enjoy creation.

There are many more ways that you can enhance your own faith life this summer. Regardless of how you do it, it’s important to keep your eyes on the goal and a prayer in your heart and remember: don’t take a vacation from YOUR vocation!