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Can you make a vacation holy? (Source: Get Fed )

It’s not that hard to do!Perhaps that is why Jesus called His Apostles away to rest, and why we can rest with Him too, especially on our time away. Summer is vacation season.The kids are out of school. For many families, it’s a welcome opportunity to slow down, spend time together, and step away from the routines of everyday life.Have you ever stopped to think about the word “holiday”? Long before it referred to vacations and days off, it literally meant “holy day.” Even our modern idea of taking a break from work has roots in the Christian understanding that periods of rest are gifts from God, meant to renew both body and soul.After all, Jesus Himself invited His Apostles:”Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31)Notice that He didn’t simply tell them to rest. He invited them to rest with Him. That is perhaps the secret to a truly Catholic vacation.We all need time to recharge. God Himself rested on the seventh day, setting apart the Sabbath as holy. Rest is not laziness. Properly understood, it is part of God’s design for us.The Catechism even teaches that our ordinary activities, including recreation, can become spiritual offerings when they are united to Christ (CCC 901).The key is simple…Don’t leave God at home!Begin a road trip with prayer. Thank God for the beauty of the mountains, the ocean, or the quiet country road. Say grace before meals, even in a crowded restaurant. Attend Mass in a new church near your destination, even daily Mass. Pray a decade of the Rosary during a long drive. End the day with Night Prayer or simply with a prayer of thanksgiving.Can you make a vacation holy?These small moments remind us that we are never on vacation from our relationship with Christ. He is with us always. In fact, vacations often give us something we struggle to find during the rest of the year: time.Time to notice God’s creation. Time to enjoy the people we love. Time to read something spiritually nourishing. Time to sit quietly before Him without rushing to the next obligation.Perhaps that is why Jesus called His Apostles away to rest, and why we can rest with Him too, especially on our time away.