Bible Study

“And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done” (Genesis 2:2).
 
Summertime gives us a chance to slow down, rest, and recreate. For the Bible Study column in this issue, we invite two members of the Office of Parish Support team for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, JJ Hussem and Rebecca Abboud, to introduce us to the Church’s spiritual teaching on rest, play, and leisure. In our busy world of constant news, activity, and busy-ness, this topic has never been more important for our spiritual lives. We invite you to reflect on their words and the bible passages they cite for your own personal prayer and transformation.

JJ Hussem

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew
11:28). Jesus didn’t say, ‘Come to me, all who are weary and I will give you a to-do list.’ John Comer’s book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, sold millions and speaks into our
contemporary rush of doing, doing, doing. We are human beings, not human doings. That
doesn’t mean productivity or effectivity are not useful and needed. It means that I struggle
to live in the present moment. And it’s in the present moment where Jesus meets me.
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We often either think we need to be busy and occupied or equate the opposite with
entertainment and consumption. The world gives us ‘mindfulness’ and yoga, but what we need is to be present to His presence. “We have become a nation of zapped souls, always busy, but never fully alive” (Comer). Rush has become the new rhythm, but the gift of time and availability is more precious than ever. True rest restores what we’re actually made for, which is connection.
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“To follow Jesus, we must slow down enough to actually follow Him” (Comer). In Revelation 14:4 we are called to “follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” He leads; I follow. What an invitation! What’s your response?

Rebecca Abboud

At that time the disciples^* approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven...” (Matthew 18:1-4)
As a child, I loved summer days filled with nothing but play. Play is the natural language of children. But as we grow, little by little, we can lose our capacity for it.

In Scripture, Jesus invites us to become like children—not childish, but childlike: full of trust, humility, and dependence on the Lord. When I’m living like it all depends on me, it becomes nearly impossible to rest or play. When I’m carrying the world on my shoulders, I lose the capacity for joyful, childlike delight. But play and rest are acts of trust. They say, “God, You are God—and I am not. I get to be your daughter. Your son.”

When we are secure in His care, we are free to laugh, to rest, and to do the things that bring us to life. Life-giving play both flows from our identity and deepens it. If heaven belongs to the childlike, then surely play is the stuff of heaven! As summer offers a new rhythm, a sacred pause, let’s ask the Lord for the grace to let play become a prayer of surrender—offered freely from the heart of a child who knows they are loved and cared for.