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2026 NFP Campaign: God in Charge - Open to Life
2026 NFP Campaign God in Charge - Open to Life WEEK 1: "Man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere…
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Stewards of God’s Gifts: Building the Kingdom of God in the Diocese of Belleville
As the Diocese of Belleville continues its mission of faith, stewardship, and evangelization, Bishop Godfrey Mullen, OSB, offers this reflection…
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Parish Picnics 2026
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Catholic Service and Ministry Appeal
Resting in the Peace of the Lord's Presence
Dear Friends,
As I write this, I’m preparing to return home after a week of vacation with my family (although the road off the island where we are in North Carolina is currently closed because of rainwater flooding the only road out!). I’m not very good at taking vacation. But spending a week with 23 other members of my family has been a welcome time off.
I’m conscious that some people may not, for a number of reasons, regularly take vacation. But there are many ways we can take a break from our worries, responsibilities and challenges in life. Vacation might rightly be attached to the scriptural notion of sabbath. Even the Almighty realized the wisdom of taking time off from the demands of the day.
So we don’t have to go to the ocean or the mountains or Europe or Holiday World or anywhere else to receive the lovely gift of peace from the day’s demands. Finding the gift of peace doesn’t mean we’re free from the responsibilities of our lives as parents, bishop, pastors or anything else. But it does mean that we can find rest in Christ’s presence, in the gift of faith, in the satisfaction of what we have done the remainder of the week.
St. John Paul II teaches in Dies Domini (1998) that God rejoices on the seventh day at all the good He had done in the first six days of creation. That’s our task, too — to rejoice at what we’ve done the rest of the week in the peace and satisfaction of creativity’s accomplishment. “All of this responds not only to the need for rest, but also to the need for celebration which is inherent in our humanity” (4).
This week has brought the opportunity to witness the beautiful restful ways of my 3-month-old great-niece who was baptized here. My 2-year-old great-niece and 3-year-old great-nephew took their time most of each day to relax and play. Playing with no need, worries or purpose — that is us in our rest before the Lord’s presence. Are we ever that relaxed before the Lord? Do we ever take that time?
Stewardship calls us to be generous with time, talent and treasure. Stewardship of time recognizes that God gave us the gift of 24 hours each day. Relaxing in the Lord’s presence, even if for a bit of time each day, reminds us of the blessings, the grace, the gifts He intends to give us, the gifts He’s offered us that we’ve used over the past week, the gifts He rejoices to receive in return.
This simple relaxation is our way to enter faithfully into the beauty of true prayer — either the Hail Mary or the Our Father or a simple conversation with the One who knows us best — listening and speaking.
Let’s recognize the wisdom of St. John Paul II: We don’t rest so that we can work better. Christian disciples work so that we can rest in the mercy of the Most High.
In Christ,
Bishop Godfrey Mullen, OSB
