Managing the Stress of the Summer with Faith and Optimism
Finally, the summer is officially here upon us beginning this week. Having lived in Arizona for several years now, it is obvious to me that summer is the most challenging time for Churches as we deal with empty pews and increasing bills. It is particularly challenging for us in our St. Benedict parish this year as we continue to worship in our temporary worship space. I encourage everyone not to dread coming to Mass during the summer. By the grace of God and through the generosity of our parishioners, we will continue to cool our worship space and make it very comfortable for everyone. I also thank God that we are blessed to live in a country where nearly everybody has AC units in their houses, vehicles and in Churches.
I recently read some studies that showed a high correlation between summer heat and a rise in anger, rage and violence. The current increasing inflation, stories of war, increasing rate of violence, political tension, etc., makes the summer this year particularly challenging. It is good to be conscious of these facts and pay attention to our mood during the summer time, especially to avoid what psychologists call “catastrophic thinking.” Catastrophic thinking is a kind of anxiety that arises when we exaggerate our challenging situation, assume unrealistic worst-case scenarios and act on the fear. It can also arise when we go through a list of our weaknesses, past failures, and too many bad things all at once. I found this
article from Positive Psychology interesting about how to stop catastrophic thinking. I hope you find it helpful. Here is another
article from Vanderbilt University about 8 ways to manage anger during summer. Jesus reminds us to bring our worries to the Lord and assures us that God will take care of all our needs
(Matthew 6:25-34).
Interestingly, I also found a few studies that indicated that many people actually look forward to the summer time for several reasons such as shopping, pool parties, beautiful monsoon, less traffic and cheap hotels. Remember the saying: “Tough times don't last but tough people do.”
General Parish Information Meeting
I invite you to join us for a Parish Information Meeting on Tuesday, June 28 at 6:30pm in the St. John Bosco Multipurpose Room (MPR). This meeting will focus on giving you an update on Church construction and construction funding. Everyone is invited to attend.
Mark Your Calendar
Please save July 11th from 6pm-8pm on your calendar for the celebration of the Feast Day of St. Benedict. We will have the Feast Day Mass at 6pm, followed by a short movie about the life of St Benedict. Popcorn will be served.