During our two-week young adult mission trip in Argentina, one thing that really struck me was the selflessness of the priests and sisters working in the City of Charity.
Every day they had only one priority: to serve God by serving others. Every moment of their day was dedicated to someone else: a child who needed a playmate, an elderly man who needed to be fed lunch, a teenaged girl who needed help getting her wheeled-chair unstuck, etc. When they weren’t directly serving others, they were doing things behind the scenes: sweeping a room, preparing the next meal, going over a list of errands with the Superior, etc. And of course their days were marked by Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, and silent prayer.
While in Argentina, we had he pleasure of taking daily siestas which offered me the opportunity to ask myself: What is my priority? And it’s a question I think we can all ask ourselves.
Take a spiritual siesta this afternoon and ask yourself what your priority is. What priority dictates your decisions, your time management, who you spend your time with, what you do in your free time, etc?
Then ask God to reveal any selfishness in your life. Believe me, He’ll tell you the honest truth!
Enjoyed this post with a nice reflective question at the end. So happy to have other voices on the blog. Keep up the good work.
Indeed the Lord can be heard in silence! I grew up in Mexico and we kids had to take a siesta every afternoon whether we liked it or not. In many occasions before I was able to wind down and fall asleep I spend time in reflection and even in prayer (“O Lord, that my parents would stop making us take a siesta every day!) Those moments of silence in the middle of day during my childhood with God in mind are precious memories and now I am grateful my parents provided the opportunity for silence and reflection at an early age. It was in silence that Samuel heard the Lord calling him.
How beautiful! Thank you for sharing your experience!
“Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10)
Hi there. I’m so glad you were able to experience missionary work with the Servants of the Lord. My baby sister is in that order, and is presently serving in South America in the country of Guyana. Their way of life is so beautiful. How can doing the work of Christ be anything but beautiful!!?? I will take you up on your suggestion of a spiritual siesta….it is hard to find silence in a house full of children, but, I thank you for reminding me that in that silence we find God, and a chance to reflect and refresh ourselves in order to do our daily tasks even better than before. God Bless You, Carolyn
What a blessing to read about your experiences! I’ve learning about the SSVM and the lay missionary work possibilities are calling me to find out more and more! Thank u for sharing!:):):)