Daily Thought For August 18, 2016

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Important Message As Summer Draws To An End

It is important to take a break now and then. Recreation relaxes both mind and body. Cassian tells us that a hunter found St. John cradling a living bird in his hand and gently petting its neck. The hunter asked him why he was wasting his time like that. John asked him why he didn’t keep his bow always taut.  “It would lose its spring if I did,” the Hunter answered. The apostle replied, “Then don’t be surprised if I relax sometimes. After a little recreation I can concentrate better.”
     It is a mistake to be so strict, driven, and austere that you can neither play a little yourself nor allow others a little diversion. Get out into the open air. Have some fun! Play the lute, sing, go hunting. Enjoy some innocent recreation. The only requirement is enough prudence to give it a proper time, place, and quantity.

Francis de Sales: Introduction To The Devout Life p.190

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