1 – I practice the art of conversation
With summer comes the time for meals where you take your time, family reunions, unexpected guests. But the meeting can be a strong moment, if it avoids the pitfall of superficiality, of chatter of which nothing will remain. It’s a matter of attention: welcoming others, listening to them. Talk about yourself, no more than necessary, and in truth. Risking the right word. Choose to talk about what matters. Take time. Be attentive to the Holy Spirit!
2 – I go “green”
A change of air is good, and in summer, nature is welcoming. Add a spiritual dimension to your need for rest, by asking a monastery, a house of spiritual welcome, to receive you, and let the rest take care of itself: the break from everyday life, participation in the prayer of the community , silence, the spectacle of nature, direct the gaze towards the essential. Meeting a monk, a nun is also an opportunity to talk about what is intimate. Book your stay quickly: the monastic hostelries are full!
3 – I listen
In the car, on the roads of the holidays, or in your kitchen, you can listen to the excellent pedagogue that is the psychiatrist Christophe André. He will lead you gently in the exploration of your inner life, whether you are a believer or not. The 40 chronicles brought together in this book can be read, but also listened to on the attached CD (and even, free of charge, on France-culture.fr). Among the themes that await you: small pleasures, music, desire, walking, regrets, prayer, tenderness… The inner life, Ed. of the Iconoclast, 230 p. ; 1 CD; €19.90.
4 – I jubilate with François
Rejoice and rejoice! is the title of a friendly exhortation from Pope Francis, published in the spring. Friendly because he speaks to you like a friend, addressing you on occasion, encouraging you, speaking to you truthfully. Enough to ? Holiness in life today. Throughout its 177 paragraphs, this text is spiritual. At the rate of 3 per day, it will accompany you all summer long. Be careful, it can take you far! “Joy and gladness”. Apostolic Exhortation, Ed. Bayard-Cerf-Mame, 124 p. ; €3.50.
5 – I meet the friend
The practice of silence according to the (very simple) rules of meditation allows you to connect to your deep being. Christian wisdom affirms more: for believers, it is a privileged way to taste God. He reveals himself to be the close and silent Friend. Here is a very successful little book by a Dominican religious. He initiates his reader to the art of silence in the presence of the Lord. For those who are burning to meet the Friend, and want to devote a few minutes (or even more) to him every day. The Ways of Silence, by Rémi Chéno, Ed. du Cerf, 112 p. ; €10.
6 – I put on my sneakers
Embark, with or without your tribe, through the woods, meadows and shores. The design of this sheet, what ingenuity! The first steps of this foal, what emotion! The beauty of nature offers thousands of opportunities to share its wonders, its questions about Creation… and the Creator. By speaking, or by singing. With children, have fun inventing your verses of the hymn “My God, you are great, you are beautiful. For example: “By the clumps of gorse, by the fields of broom, by the wind from the beach, and by the heavy clouds!” »
7 – I revisit my classics
Didn’t you think about it anymore? The rosary, whether said while walking or at rest, is a proven way to simply pray. It is also, and we sometimes forget, a means of meditating on the gospel, through twenty scenes (or mysteries) from the life of Christ and Mary: joyful, luminous, painful and glorious mysteries. The approach is explained with pedagogy on the site to believe. com
8 – I do my “home” retreat
Doing a spiritual retreat while staying at home? It is possible, with firm determination and a guide. Father Jean Lafrance (1931-1991), for example: he was a much appreciated preacher. His book Pray to your Father in Secret can be the guiding thread of a retreat: at the end of the volume, a table offers four daily readings marking out a ten-day retreat. His conviction: “The Spirit never ceases to pray in you (cf. Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 8)! Let it go. » Ed. Mediaspaul, 328 p. ; €16.
9 – I dive into a Gospel
Hearing passages of the Gospel in church is one thing, reading one in full, at home, in one sitting, is quite another experience. Try it, and dive! Note, as you read, emotions, discoveries, questions. What face of Christ is revealed to me? Let these impressions resound within you. Pray. The gospel is a word to be heard, which calls to relate, to respond. The text according to Saint Mark can be read in less than two hours. That of Matthieu and that of Luc in two and a half hours. You prefer Jean, quite briefly: some passages are more demanding.
10 – I’m throwing a The Choice party
Okay, Bach’s cantata BWV140 that transports you leaves your 15-year-old grandson unmoved. But do you know that his ”djeun” music sometimes elevates him? To connect your worlds, throw a “The Choice” party. Each of the participants chooses THE song that transports them. Everyone settles down as if for a show, and comes, in turn, to defend their work. By introducing the author and the performer, by explaining why he likes this piece so much… The public listens and gives his impressions. Guaranteed surprises!