What did you do for your summer vacation?
A VIEW FROM THE BACK PEW
By Rev. Canon Christopher B. J. Pratt
I HAVE the impression that, for many of us, that question filtered through school time conversations in September.
There were some families that always seemed to head off to familiar territory. A family cottage filled with memories provided a centrepiece of family life. It was a place that people gravitated to in the summer months, long weekends and moments of celebration. It was a place filled with stories and memories.
Other folks looked at the summer as a time to explore the world. Travel, in some cases, provided a destination marked for total relaxation. Inactivity was the big draw when linked to the words “all inclusive”. Still others saw travel as an extension of their education. Places filled with stories of historical value generated a different perspective when the tales of the past, first discovered in history books, suddenly developed a vivid reality as the characters leapt off the pages to be discovered in the settings where their stories had first been told.
Growing up, I was fortunate that my parents, rooted in the urban life of Chicago, New York City and Philadelphia yearned to escape the concrete jungle and explore the wider world. As a priest of the Episcopal Church my Father made sure that we travelled to experience the history of the Anglican Communion, by going to England, and also walking the streets that he had known as a boy, in Banbury, Oxfordshire. For him, the journey was filled with nostalgia as he saw places that were a part of his past. He was able to share and pass along stories that were important to him. Those are some of the stories which I have passed along to children and grandchildren.
Beginning in 1967, my Father gifted a month of his summer to different Dioceses here in Canada. He took services while clergy were on vacation. During my summer vacations as a teenager I have lived in Nakina, Ontario, Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, North Bay, Ontario, Sherbrooke, Quebec and Thompson, Manitoba. Those summers also provided opportunities to visit Moose Factory, Ontario and Churchill, Manitoba. Each place generated stories which are indelibly etched into my life. These are stories which I share with my family.
My own family has been fortunate to experience the joys of travel. One son and his wife, over three summers, paddled from the US / Canada border, along the shores of Lake Superior, circumnavigated Manitoulin Island, canoed along Lake Huron and Lake Erie, they then portaged around Niagara Falls and concluded their adventure in Kingston. After teaching English as a second language in Taiwan for a year, our other son travelled west and circumnavigated the globe as he headed for home. Those journeys and other adventures generated their own stories, which they have freely shared.
Years ago, a Clergy Conference tour went to the Holy Land. The tour provided an opportunity for those of us who had read the book, to value and appreciate the places, as our tour guide said, which, “by tradition”, were the locations where moments of the Biblical story took place. As a clergy group, we knew the stories. To be in the setting where “by tradition” the stories had taken place, added depth and richness to a familiar narrative.
When we arrived at the Sea of Galilee, I had grown tired of the “by tradition” phrase of the tour. I looked at the hills, not the ones covered with condos, but the bare hills surrounding the Sea of Galilee. I listened to the water lapping up on the side of the boat our group took out onto the water. I knew those were sights and sounds that Jesus would have experienced. Being in that setting has shaped my reading words of Scripture since that trip and, I hope that they have enhanced the stories I have shared when I proclaim the Gospel message in my ministry.
Personal experience and family stories are easy stories to tell. From joy-filled moments through the challenges of life, we have opportunities to connect up with willing audiences of family and friends, who listen to the stories we are prepared to share.
What personal experience do we draw on when it comes to fulfilling our Baptismal Covenantal vow to “proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ”? Is the story of our own faith journey a story which is as easy to tell as what we did on our summer vacation?
My suspicion is that we are a tad more reserved when it comes to opening a window into our own soul. Being attuned to the people who are around us, being sensitive to a moment, a place and all that is happening around us may also provide an excuse which seems to be viable to us as a reason for us not to talk about matters of faith.
As you get asked, “What did you do for your summer vacation”, you might begin by saying, “Sitting by the lake at night I looked up and was lost in the stars and the beauty of God’s Creation.” You might also reflect on the places you visited and attended a Sunday service. (Don’t forget to bring a copy of the bulletin back to your home parish!) You might also be moved to gratefully reflect on the experience of being able to travel in peace and safety in a world where mobility may not always be a choice and where peace may not be a reality.
“What did you do for your summer vacation” is such a simple question.
Sometimes the answer gets complicated.
Rev. Canon Christopher B. J. Pratt has retired from full-time parish ministry but continues to offer priestly ministry in the Diocese.