Summer is a time of pause and slowing down; it offers a precious opportunity to rediscover rest, not as a mere absence of activity, but as a spiritual space, a place of encounter with God, a time of inner renewal. For the Christian, living rest is part of the profound dynamic of balance between action and contemplation, where silence becomes a language that speaks to the heart.
From our perspective, rest is not merely a physical need but a divine gift — a form of peace and serenity that enables communion with God. It is a state of calm in which we free ourselves from daily stress to welcome the divine presence. This rest finds its fullness in the encounter with Christ, who invites us: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened… and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).
Pope Francis reminds us that true rest is found in Jesus, encouraging us to take advantage of the summer holidays to meet the Lord in prayer rather than lose ourselves in fleeting distractions. It is about giving time to God, conversing with Him, and opening to Him those areas of our lives that need His light.
Rest is also a favorable time for contemplation. To be contemplative means to orient one’s entire life toward the search for God, to descend to the deepest part of the heart to discover there His presence. This encounter transforms the person, granting a new peace — an “indwelling” of God that becomes a source of peace for oneself and for others.
Living rest as part of apostolic balance means welcoming summer as a time of grace, in which action and contemplation respond to each other. Silence, far from being absence, becomes the word of God. Rest, lived as encounter, renews the heart and makes apostolic commitment fruitful, allowing us to taste even now the promised peace and to share it with those around us.
Sister Eliane of the Incarnation Province of Madagascar