Five ways to live a saintly summer
Summer is already in full swing and believe it or not, the “Back to School” sales will be starting shortly. Even so, there is still plenty of time for warm days, vacation, and family time. For Catholics, the summertime can be an especially unique time to practice the faith, especially with friends and family. Here are a few different ways you can practice the faith during the summer months:
Summer is already in full swing and believe it or not, the “Back to School” sales will be starting shortly. Even so, there is still plenty of time for warm days, vacation, and family time. For Catholics, the summertime can be an especially unique time to practice the faith, especially with friends and family. Here are a few different ways you can practice the faith during the summer months:
Read a book
Reading is a common summer pastime, and the Catholic reading list is never lacking. For biography, try The Story of a Soul or Seven Storey Mountain. For fiction, check out C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce or his Space Trilogy. For a good life of Christ, you could check out The Lord by Romano Guardini, Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI, or The Life of Christ by Fulton Sheen.
Pray with others
Praying with others is an activity Catholics have engaged in since the very beginning of the Church. One uniquely “summer” way of doing this is to host a bonfire, invite friends and other families over, pray a rosary together, and then pull out the chocolate and graham crackers for the s’mores.
Have a cookout
Speaking of gathering with friends, the summer months are classic times for a cookout, and there are plenty of great Catholic feast days as an excuse to celebrate! Principally, there is the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary on Aug.15th, but you may find that the feast of St. Lawrence (Aug. 10th) is a good day to fire up the grill as well!
Attend mass
Attending Mass a little bit extra is a good thing to do during the summer months as well. The secular holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Independence Day are prime days to worship God and offer thanksgiving for his blessings, and since most people have these days off, you’re available to attend a weekday Mass. Also, don’t forget masstimes.org if you’re traveling and need to find a church in a different city for Sunday Mass!
Listen to a podcast
Finally, if you’re looking for something new to listen to during these summer months, you could try one of these great Catholic podcasts: Catholic Stuff You Should Know, The Word on Fire Show, Abiding Together, or The Messy Family. While not specifically Catholic, my children have started listening to The Lamplighter Podcast, which features a short story that teaches virtues to children. And then there’s always Saints Alive or Catholic Sprouts for children. God bless and have a great summer!