This blog is part of a weekly summer series.

Meditative Reading:

There is a strong connection between rest and delight; when we are exhausted and harried it is almost impossible to find delight in even the most wonderful things. Hopefully both have been more available to you through this summer’s spiritual practices. As we move into the fall, are there a few practices you would like to continue into the new season? How can you create habits of rest and delight that are necessary for rebuilding a relationship with creation?

Genesis 1:31-2:3

Psalm 148:1-13a (everyone bless God together)

Leviticus 25:1-7 (Sabbatical Year)

Revelation 21:1-5a (new heaven and new earth)

Spiritual Practices:

• Look up St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures and/or the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address. Consider what you are especially grateful for. How has your gratitude for the natural world changed over the summer? Write your own version of St. Francis’ Prayer, the Thanksgiving Address or Psalm 148. 

• Create an artistic representation of interdependence with a natural mandala by collecting rocks, leaves, flower petals, pinecones, seed pods, and any other natural elements that catch your eye. Find a clear area to work on and begin arranging your items together into a circle pattern. If you need inspiration, look up nature mandalas online to see some examples. How are you connected to other parts of creation? How do you find delight in creation?

• Choose a day this week to take a sabbath from your screens (a few hours or even a full day). Take this time to be outside (look up 50 Things Grand River Conservation Authority if you would like some ideas of what to do!). In Scripture, Sabbath isn’t just a day to not do work, it is an opportunity to rest in God’s care and to share in God’s delight in the world. How might you practice this during your own day of rest?

Erika lives in Kitchener with her husband Cameron and her son Levi. She works as the Spiritual and Student Development Advisor at St. Jerome’s University where she engages in conversations with SJ community members about spirituality, justice, and leadership. Erika loves spending time outside with her family, listening to audiobooks, and cooking new foods.