The ubiquitous presence of cell phones and the never dormant social media prompt this question. Does the time so many of us spend gazing at electronic screens serve the purpose of recreation or of distraction? Put more generally, for which of these two purposes do we employ what used to be called our leisure time? Do we take time to restore and refresh ourselves in recreation? Or in distraction do we seek release from the responsibilities of our purpose? Recreation is restorative and salubrious. It is significant that the term itself contains the word ‘creation’. Even leisure can be creative and productive. The term distraction, on the other hand, shares the same etymology as ‘tractor’ and indicates a ‘pulling away’. Doesn’t distraction pull us away from our purpose?
Depending on how we are raised, leisure time – more prevalent now than centuries ago – is either a blessing or a curse. One is reminded of those indolent individuals who though they have inherited great financial wealth have acquired no sense of personal purpose. In aimless and even harmful distraction they spend their years escaping the void of purposelessness. Others, however, who have learned to employ their leisure time in ways that comply with their sense of purpose appear to be more at peace with themselves.
Families are primarily responsible for inculcating this sense of purpose in each new generation. Schools share this responsibility. Catholic schools are especially effective in this regard as they are uninhibited about relating the use of our time (leisure and otherwise) to the will of God.
NCCF’s Catalog of Ministries features many Catholic schools around the nation. With regard to training its students on the use of leisure time one particularly effective school is Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haledon, New Jersey. Founded in 1921 by the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco as Mary Help of Christians School, in 1944 it became an accredited high school and now serves around 150 young women in grades nine through twelve. Its mission statement reads:
“Mary Help of Christians Academy, a Catholic preparatory school in the Salesian tradition, embraces the charism of reason, religion and loving kindness as inspired by Saint John Bosco and Saint Mary Mazzarello. Embodying the ideals of “Beauty, Truth, and Joy”, young women in grades nine through twelve are educated in a family environment developing their spiritual growth, academic excellence, social responsibility and commitment to service”.
‘Truth, Beauty and Joy, charism, spiritual growth, commitment to service’ – the Academy can rightly boast that it “educates tomorrow’s doctors, lawyers, engineers, businesswomen, artists and entrepreneurs” and that the potential of its young women is unlimited.
Philanthropy is a form of recreation. Though philanthropy individuals who are able to do so use their free time to ‘create’ possibilities for others so that these others might realize their own unlimited potential. It would not be surprising if any of the donors who have donor advised funds at NCCF are alumnae of Mary Help of Christians Academy.
It seems the gloom of nihilism more and more darkens our world. For those of us inclined to succumb to a sense of hopelessness we need only have ‘eyes that see and ears that hear’ and not surrender to distraction. As this Catholic Academy demonstrates, the Kingdom advances.