McGrath Institute Blog

Pivot. We are doing a whole lot of pivoting in life, aren’t we? Personally, professionally, socially, and even spiritually. 

Summer, for many of us in ministry, is our time to slow down, to pause, to reflect, and to recalibrate for the coming year of ministry. Often, it is the time we give ourselves permission to take time off, go on vacation, or even make time for a retreat. Due to the realities of life at the moment, even our rest this summer invites us to explore new and creative ways to rejuvenate and reconnect with the source of our ministry and call.

Growing up as an ultra-early riser, I would sometimes awake just as the sun was coming up to catch the early hours of Sports Center, for no reason other than to be able to say I woke up before my younger brother. Ten-year-olds can be competitive about the strangest of things. 

From 1999 until 2004, I lived as a hermit. Now, like many others, I once again find myself spending a great deal of time alone. However, there are two huge differences between then and now: then, my solitude was freely chosen. Now, because of COVID-19, solitude is forced by stay-at-home orders. 

Life for nearly everyone has been upended to some degree these days, and it can be easy to get swept away in a current of fear and anxiety, or to teeter out on the edges of loneliness. In times like these, when many things seem to be out of one’s control, turning (or returning) to daily, simple practices of prayer can provide a deep peace that only comes from opening oneself up to the grace and love of God. 

In times of crisis, people often—rightly—turn to prayer. When confronted with the very real limitations of humanity, the natural response for many is to cry out to God for protection, for rescue, for comfort. At times, though, it can be difficult to find words to articulate these cries for help. Indeed, we may feel helpless in the face of it all. When that happens, the liturgy of the Church and the words of Scripture provide a lifeline to God. By giving ourselves over to the Word of God and the prayer of the Church, we are freed from the burden of trying to speak for ourselves when our hearts are heavy and our minds are weary, and we are united by the grace of the Holy Spirit to our brothers and sisters across time and space—indeed, united with Jesus Christ himself—by making these words our own as they did.