Jesus looked at him and loved him. (Mark 10:21) Do I believe I am loved, really loved, by God? Do I look at others with the same gaze of love in which God looks at me? Do I make an effort to make eye contact with people who are trying to speak to me and be fully present to them? But Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19) Do I allow myself the freedom to be in wonder about the mystery of life? Do I feel the unnecessary burden to have “it al

When I am tempted to always be doing something, Help me, Jesus. When I am tempted to be busier than necessary, Help me, Jesus. When I am tempted to skip prayer, Help me, Jesus. When I am tempted to give in to distraction, Help me, Jesus. When I am being hasty, Help me, Jesus. When I am tempted to ignore my need for silence, Help me, Jesus. When I am tempted to avoid holy "interruptions" or "inspirations," Help me, Jesus. When I am tempted to self-hatred, Help me, Jesus. When

The first time I read Josef Pieper’s book Leisure: The Basis of Culture, I felt I had finally encountered the philosophical and theological categories to explain the discomfort I felt in a culture obsessed with nonstop activity, imagery, and noise. Perhaps also being a first-generation American, with a Middle Eastern sensibility of leisure, I felt especially out of place. Unfortunately, it seems modern Christians have long abandoned the primacy of leisure, its foundation in t