On the day I entered Mount St. Scholastica, I was presented
to the community and was asked, “What is it that you seek?” I responded, “I
seek to know and serve God through prayer, work, and play in companionship with
the community of Mount St. Scholastica.” I chose to include the word “play” in
my response because although ora et labora—prayer and work—are familiar values
that have been passed down through my family for generations, ludere—play—isn’t
really part of the family lexicon. However, I believe play is an important
aspect of knowing and serving God.
Recently, when I was visiting my Uncle Bob, he happened to
mention, “Dad [my grandfather] was always busy doing something. If he didn’t
have anything else to do, he’d go out and dig cockleburrs out of the corn field
with his hunting knife.” My dad was the same way. Even his leisure activities,
such as tinkering with cars, growing a vegetable garden, and going fishing,
although meditative, were also productive. I have followed in the footsteps of
my family in that my level of satisfaction at the end of the day is generally tied
to how much I have accomplished.
Play helps circumvent that mindset by acknowledg-
ing that we
do not have to do anything to be
loved by God. God wants to be in communion with us, and a sure way to do that
is to enjoy and be grateful for the playground of creation that God has
provided for us … to feel the joy of simply being, and of being with others,
that is at the heart of play.
Although the Mount is a very active and productive
community, I’ve been glad to learn that you can often find a spirited game of Yahtzee
or Uno underway in the community living room, and that the Sisters enjoy movie
nights, outings to Royals games, and opportunities to rejuvenate at a nearby
lake. May God be glorified in all things…even in a rousing game of Scrabble!
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