Up close and priestly, But never personal

God gave us work to do, and made it clear that work is to be the means of supplying our needs for food, clothing, and shelter, as well as providing for the needs of others. However, the Bible nowhere assumes that all of man's borrowed time is to be consumed in work. God condemns the materialism of people who find the production of physical things as the only worthwhile endeavour in life.

I was half way up the stair when I heard a loud voice “Hesus” and another dif-ferent voice in short version “Sus”, up inside the convent. I thought it was some kind of prayers usually uttered by charismatic or Pen-tecostal groups, and the pastors were in the middle of glossalia but soon found out that two priests were playing billiard, and both are missing holes alternately. I enjoyed watching lots of their body English after cueing the balls. I reminded one priest about the uttered Name but he told me jokingly that is the nor-mal way a man should act when in need. Halfway down, I heard those shouts again. I just shook my head. Somebody is missing holes again and in need of Him. A wholesome use of leisure time it was, and that is what we need every now and then. I understood, and I chuckled.

God desires us to enjoy health of mind, body, and soul. Through recreation God has made possible the regaining of power and purpose in each aspect of man's being. In the use of our leisure time, as in all of life, we seek to bring all things under the dominion of Christ. We cannot separate our Christian lives into religious and secular parts, Christ is Lord of our leisure and our works, both.


The kind and intensity of recreation must be determined by his needs and it should be sufficient to keep his whole being in the best possible physical, mental, and spiritual health. But recreation should always remain subordinate to the ultimate purpose of Christ for His church: the salvation of man and his edification in His church.

In opting recreation, the Christian will keep in mind how it will develop enjoyable skills, useful in the present and, at least in part, during his older age. He should make his leisure-time activities constructive in strengthening the life of his family. He should avoid forms of sinful pleasure, and mindful of its eternal consequences.(RDD)