A summer challenge to switch our focus

As summer finally descends upon us after the long winter, we are ready to welcome it with open arms. Many of us already have our vacations planned out, trips booked, and fun activities set. And after a long winter and all of our hard work, we deserve it, right?

This all sounds fine at first, until I started seeing all that Pope Francis had planned for the summer and how his drive to reach out to others is full steam ahead, no matter the season. It made me think twice about summer plans.

Sure, it’s always important to enjoy the summer and take some time to relax and rejuvenate, but, at the same, it’s important to keep the bigger picture in mind, to keep our focus gazing up and out, and not totally inward on ourselves.

The Feast of Corpus Christi takes place in these summer months, on June 15 this year. I was reflecting on what Francis had to say on this feast last year, and it seems to apply here. He said, “Jesus was broken; he is broken for us. And he asks us to give ourselves, to break ourselves, as it were, for others.”

In other words, Francis is trying to draw us outside of ourselves and help us to keep the good of those around us a priority.

In addition to the good fun, food, and vacations we have planned this summer, it’s important we take some time to reach out to those who might need us this summer. Maybe that means spending some of our vacation visiting a lonely family member or helping out our elderly neighbors with their yard work. Maybe it means making visits to local nursing homes or volunteering our time at our parish or a local charity.

However, God might be calling each of us to reach out this summer to “break ourselves” for others at least a little, just as Jesus’ body and blood was broken for us. It doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy our summer, in fact, we might enjoy it more. People tend to be happier when they think less about themselves.

Second on Pope Francis’ list of 10 Secrets to Happiness is to: "Be giving of yourself to others." He explained that we need to be generous and giving ourselves, because "if you withdraw into yourself, you run the risk of becoming egocentric. And stagnant water becomes putrid."

So in a season with lots of focus on our own plans and schedules, let’s strive to also incorporate the needs of those around us. For “it is in giving that we receive.”