Holidays

When Spring turns to summer our thoughts turn to holidays. Many of us are unaware that the word holiday comes from the Old English word for Holy Day. The word originally referred only to special religious days, such  as Christmas, Easter, saint’s days etc.

What is the connection between holidays and holy days? Both express the need for rest, recreation, finding refreshment, renewal.   We take time out of our very active lives       of doing just to be, to enjoy and to celebrate. In  the Gospel, after the disciples’ busy journeys of teaching and sharing the Good News, Jesus said: “You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest awhile.” They needed a holiday, just as we do to balance our very frenetic lives.

Holidays can be enjoyed at home or abroad, in the sunshine by the sea, or may take the form of a walking tour, such as a pilgrimage.    A holiday is our response to a need for change from the daily routine, time for special moments of sharing, fun, and relaxation with family and friends – a time to renew ourselves in body, mind and spirit.