Is it wrong to enjoy life?

[ZoonCorp]

I’ll try to be as clear as I can. This is something that I have thought about but never really found an answer to.

Our life on earth is meant to prepare us for the next life, right? So that means that we should really set God as our main priority in our lives and live as Jesus has taught us, no matter what. That means we should live faith both trough dedication but also daily work. So how does, for example, hobbies and interests fit into all this?

Imagine that you own a small airplane that you like to fly on the summer. It’s really amazing, flying in the sky, seeing how small everything is from above. But how does this help you with living faith? Does it add anything to help you live a good life according to God?

Know that I do have hobbies of my own that I would like to continue to be involved with. Me myself have plans for my future that I would like to see through, like getting a job in the video game industry. As I said earlier, we have been taught to live faith by dedication and work. It’s like St. Benedict said; “Ora et labora”. But does a job in the video game industry really fulfill a healthy relationship with God? On the other hand, what kind of career would be better in that case? An office job wouldn’t exactly help me reach God any better. Maybe being a doctor would be good for that purpose since you help other people, but I can’t be a doctor.

I hope that you get the idea of what I am trying to say. In short; Is it wrong to have hobbies or jobs that doesn’t necessarily help you get closer to God?

 

[edward_george]

As Catholics, our faith is rooted in the Incarnation. The beauty of this is that we can access God through the world, through His Creation. Thus, we can engage in all sorts of pursuits (obviously not sinful ones) that do not necessarily lead us to God, but can be a means for us to find Him all the same. There is not one hobby, occupation, or any other pursuit that can fail to lead us to God if we seek Him with a sincere heart.

-ACEGC

 

[Micorhizea]

I’ll try to be as clear as I can. This is something that I have thought about but never really found an answer to.

Our life on earth is meant to prepare us for the next life, right? So that means that we should really set God as our main priority in our lives and live as Jesus has taught us, no matter what. That means we should live faith both trough dedication but also daily work. So how does, for example, hobbies and interests fit into all this?

Imagine that you own a small airplane that you like to fly on the summer. It’s really amazing, flying in the sky, seeing how small everything is from above. But how does this help you with living faith? Does it add anything to help you live a good life according to God?

Know that I do have hobbies of my own that I would like to continue to be involved with. Me myself have plans for my future that I would like to see through, like getting a job in the video game industry. As I said earlier, we have been taught to live faith by dedication and work. It’s like St. Benedict said; “Ora et labora”. But does a job in the video game industry really fulfill a healthy relationship with God? On the other hand, what kind of career would be better in that case? An office job wouldn’t exactly help me reach God any better. Maybe being a doctor would be good for that purpose since you help other people, but I can’t be a doctor.

I hope that you get the idea of what I am trying to say. In short; Is it wrong to have hobbies or jobs that doesn’t necessarily help you get closer to God?

High Flight

*Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God*.

— John Gillespie Magee, Jr

There seems to be a tendency to put “Ora et labore” into a kind of monastic box that all laymen appear to be expected to fit into as well. But despite this, I have taken the counsel of my Spiritual Adviser who showed me through his clear vision how all activity can be prayer and prayer can be an activity. Prayer means “raising your mind and heart to God.” Does that mean then that many of the things God gave us are not part of that, when we can discover ways in which they honor and glorify Him?

Focus is important. and by “focus” I do not mean a narrowing of vision. I mean an expansion of awareness brought to bear on an activity, whether it is a formulated prayer or a creative activity in arts or sports. Even business can be thus elevated. The point is to see how it all fits together in the seamless garment of God’s Creation.

My favorite Catholic contemplative is an example of this. She was in orders as a Carmelite for ten years and accomplished much in her interior life. But there came a point, which comes to many, where she saw that it is one thing to have such insights in the seclusion of a monastery, and an entirely different thing to “live them in the market place.” It was, for her, a fulfillment of what was only promised in the walls of the cloister and verified for her that there is no separation due to place, and that ll things are grist for the mill of transformation.

So yours is a very important question, and is not necessarily an “either/or” proposition. It has everything to do with standpoint and intention. Why would you not exercise gifts God gave you for the discovery of His wonders and beauty in Nature, creativity, and yourself? Are you not yourself created in His image and likeness? Would you not want to know how that is?

 

[Alberti_Devoveo]

This world is God’s creation too, so why not enjoy it, so long as you remember that we were not created for this life, but the next.

 

[Qoeleth]

On the one hand:
“The only happiness for man is eating, drinking and pleasure”- Ecclesiastes

On the other hand:
“Them which sow in tears shall reap in joy”- Psalm
And
“Blessed are ye that mourn, you shall be comforted…
But alas for ye who laugh, you shall mourn and weep.” Luke
And:
“The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
The heart of the fool is in the house of mirth.” - Ecclesiastes

I’d enjoy life while you can, for sadness, age, disease, will come soon enough.

 

[Micorhizea]

I’d enjoy life while you can, for sadness, age, disease, will come soon enough.

So what is at stake in each of those for you?

 

[Qoeleth]

So what is at stake in each of those for you?

Loss of vitality, of capacity for enjoyment, of independence- the pleasures of youth fleeting away even as the breathe of life itself ebbs. As says the preacher:

1Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

2While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

3In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,

4And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;

5Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

6Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

7Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

8Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

 

[Micorhizea]

Loss of vitality, of capacity for enjoyment, of independence- the pleasures of youth fleeting away even as the breathe of life itself ebbs. As says the preacher:

7Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

8Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

OK, all that is fine preaching. But I wasn’t expecting to be third-partied, so: what does it mean* to you*?
Maybe start another thread,

 

[Hecares]

I have often been surprised by what can teach me about God. Hobbies often do. Gardening is an awesome teacher, so are singing, dancing, etc.

When you do things you love, you usually get good at them. This can forge a connection that will allow you to reach out to others in a charitable way. If there is nothing in this world that you enjoy, how can you relate to people in this world?

Pope John Paul II had many hobbies. He incorporated some of them into his evangelization in his younger years. He would go hiking with groups of young people; and that would give him an opportunity to talk to them about how much God loves them.

I’m not saying that you have to be pursuing the conversion of others in the practice of your hobbies. Enjoy them. You may never know of the good that comes from them. On the other hand, someday you may see a need that you are uniquely qualified to fill because of the interests you have cultivated.

I was just wondering earlier if there are any electronic games that would teach us about our faith. These games can hold our interest for long periods of time. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to spend that much time in an enjoyable pastime which would also help us to learn about our religion?

 

[FurtherSuntime]

I’ll try to be as clear as I can. This is something that I have thought about but never really found an answer to.

Our life on earth is meant to prepare us for the next life, right? So that means that we should really set God as our main priority in our lives and live as Jesus has taught us, no matter what. That means we should live faith both trough dedication but also daily work. So how does, for example, hobbies and interests fit into all this?

Imagine that you own a small airplane that you like to fly on the summer. It’s really amazing, flying in the sky, seeing how small everything is from above. But how does this help you with living faith? Does it add anything to help you live a good life according to God?

Know that I do have hobbies of my own that I would like to continue to be involved with. Me myself have plans for my future that I would like to see through, like getting a job in the video game industry. As I said earlier, we have been taught to live faith by dedication and work. It’s like St. Benedict said; “Ora et labora”. But does a job in the video game industry really fulfill a healthy relationship with God? On the other hand, what kind of career would be better in that case? An office job wouldn’t exactly help me reach God any better. Maybe being a doctor would be good for that purpose since you help other people, but I can’t be a doctor.

I hope that you get the idea of what I am trying to say. In short; Is it wrong to have hobbies or jobs that doesn’t necessarily help you get closer to God?

I’m sorry you have this confusion. As long as your work is not involved in deceit, ill-will or things which involve theft , you can very nicely consecrate the effort to God and in a way, work as though God is your employer.

One of the beauties in life is that we all do not, look the same, talk the same, have the same abilities-talents, backgrounds , interests, toothaches on the same day, grouchy relatives…ect ect

why?

because unity is mans chief objective because it represents order, which is the nature of God. If we all had the same interests , we would be robots and never be able to self reflect a truth in self value, striving for this important directive unity. Try the opus dei book by the Jose Escriva priest-new saint I think…I went through a bit of his book as my father was with the opus day for a while, you can and people can consecrate there work to god if it is honest…thats all you need…( people do this anyway unconsciously…its just a matter of self understanding…so you should feel much better as of this very moment…would absolutely love to fly a plane…dream i’m flying all the time, once a month
maybe . maybe if i have the time at some point in the future .

 

[Simpleton]

I think a lot of people misunderstand the fact that the Church isn’t against someone enjoying their life; in fact The Church has always taught that true unity with Christ is the source of all happiness and peace so if anything following your Catholic Faith will help you enjoy your life to the fullest.

 

[ZoonCorp]

Thank you everyone for your replies and thoughts on the matter, it has given me some insight.

I was just wondering earlier if there are any electronic games that would teach us about our faith. These games can hold our interest for long periods of time. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to spend that much time in an enjoyable pastime which would also help us to learn about our religion?

I don’t know either. But frankly, as weird as it might sound, video games are actually one of my big hobbies. The thing is that I don’t see them as just a time killer thing. When I play a game, I see and experience the hard work of so many talented people that has contributed the various ways they can. It’s all masterful engineering, music production, traditional art, imagination and vision coming together in one (hopefully) amazing product. There are so many talented people behind it all. That being said, I definitely consider video games as a from of art.

But I’m not only into the games themselves, but also the whole games industry as a whole. I have a natural fascination for it, and so I also have a big knowledge and understanding for it. Therefore, if I could work with something that could represent that, like marketing or journalism in the games industry, it would definitely fill my interest and passion.

But as I said, I don’t know if that can teach us about our religion. But if I don’t make it into that industry, I will probably end up working in an office that would put me in a (for me) much less fun, inspiring, or attractive environment. That’s what I am thinking anyway.

 

[edwest2]

I’ll try to be as clear as I can. This is something that I have thought about but never really found an answer to.

Our life on earth is meant to prepare us for the next life, right? So that means that we should really set God as our main priority in our lives and live as Jesus has taught us, no matter what. That means we should live faith both trough dedication but also daily work. So how does, for example, hobbies and interests fit into all this?

Imagine that you own a small airplane that you like to fly on the summer. It’s really amazing, flying in the sky, seeing how small everything is from above. But how does this help you with living faith? Does it add anything to help you live a good life according to God?

Know that I do have hobbies of my own that I would like to continue to be involved with. Me myself have plans for my future that I would like to see through, like getting a job in the video game industry. As I said earlier, we have been taught to live faith by dedication and work. It’s like St. Benedict said; “Ora et labora”. But does a job in the video game industry really fulfill a healthy relationship with God? On the other hand, what kind of career would be better in that case? An office job wouldn’t exactly help me reach God any better. Maybe being a doctor would be good for that purpose since you help other people, but I can’t be a doctor.

I hope that you get the idea of what I am trying to say. In short; Is it wrong to have hobbies or jobs that doesn’t necessarily help you get closer to God?

Please read this first:

bible.cc/philippians/4-8.htm

Hobbies are wonderful. Growing up, I knew people who made plastic model kits and just a few days ago, a young lady showed me some figures she made using Sculpy and Super Sculpy. Every day you are around other people is a chance for you to demonstrate your faith in action by being kind, helpful and even generous. You could set aside a part of your income and send a check to a soup kitchen or Catholic charity, or just put what you can into the poor box in Church.

I follow the video game industry as part of my job as a researcher. Take a good look at the types of games the various companies are producing and pick the one that is best suited to you. All media has some influence on people. You could be part of a company that produces games that reflect your values in some way. We all need time to relax, and watching or reading good, clean stories can be part of that. Playing or making games can be part of that.

Pray and ask God for guidance. We are all called to different careers/lives.

Peace,
Ed

 

[DebChris]

Jesus said, “I came that they might have life, life to the fullest.”

In order to truly enjoy life, we need to live a life of balance. Hobbies and leisure activities help us do exactly that. They help us relax which in turn makes it possible to put more energy into the things that we must do.

 

[irishOntarian]

Things don’t have to teach us directly about our faith to be good for us. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings doesn’t speak at all about Christianity and only indirectly about God, but it has more insight into Catholic idealism than almost any other book I know. There’s a lot of problems in the video game industry that could use fixing, and you don’t need to make games that teach us the catechism in order to be doing God’s work there

 

[Qoeleth]

A wise man once said, “Whoever love his life will lose it. Whoever hates his life in this world, the same will inherit eternal life.”

Make of it what you will.

 

[kittyyang1989]

Among all the detecting activities, gold detecting is the most interesting one. It can not only relax both our mind and body, but also give us a big fortune if we are lucky enough. Next time when you feel bored, you can pick up a gold metal detector and have a try.

 

[poetryforjesus]

Here is a quote from GK Chesterton about the purpose of life:

It is not only possible to say a great deal in praise of play; it is really possible to say the highest things in praise of it. It might reasonably be maintained that the true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground.

How about that? Heaven is a playground? When our Lord restores all things, when all are in paradise, what are we going to do? In Chesterton’s vision, we’ll simply be playing, everyday, however we like. So you’ll be enjoying all of your hobbies, just like children on earth all enjoy doing.

Children love to play. We actually learn by playing. That is why games, hobbies, jokes are good for the soul.

 

[JamesATyler]

I’ll try to be as clear as I can. This is something that I have thought about but never really found an answer to.

Our life on earth is meant to prepare us for the next life, right? So that means that we should really set God as our main priority in our lives and live as Jesus has taught us, no matter what. That means we should live faith both trough dedication but also daily work. So how does, for example, hobbies and interests fit into all this?

Imagine that you own a small airplane that you like to fly on the summer. It’s really amazing, flying in the sky, seeing how small everything is from above. But how does this help you with living faith? Does it add anything to help you live a good life according to God?

Know that I do have hobbies of my own that I would like to continue to be involved with. Me myself have plans for my future that I would like to see through, like getting a job in the video game industry. As I said earlier, we have been taught to live faith by dedication and work. It’s like St. Benedict said; “Ora et labora”. But does a job in the video game industry really fulfill a healthy relationship with God? On the other hand, what kind of career would be better in that case? An office job wouldn’t exactly help me reach God any better. Maybe being a doctor would be good for that purpose since you help other people, but I can’t be a doctor.

I hope that you get the idea of what I am trying to say. In short; Is it wrong to have hobbies or jobs that doesn’t necessarily help you get closer to God?

Video games are here to stay and they are a medium that reaches nearly every age group. Generally, a video game made by someone who loves God is going to be better for people. I doubt you’ll make a video game that promotes poor values. Make you can bring some class to an industry that really needs more.

 

[MPat]

I’ll try to be as clear as I can. This is something that I have thought about but never really found an answer to.

Our life on earth is meant to prepare us for the next life, right? So that means that we should really set God as our main priority in our lives and live as Jesus has taught us, no matter what. That means we should live faith both trough dedication but also daily work. So how does, for example, hobbies and interests fit into all this?

Imagine that you own a small airplane that you like to fly on the summer. It’s really amazing, flying in the sky, seeing how small everything is from above. But how does this help you with living faith? Does it add anything to help you live a good life according to God?

Know that I do have hobbies of my own that I would like to continue to be involved with. Me myself have plans for my future that I would like to see through, like getting a job in the video game industry. As I said earlier, we have been taught to live faith by dedication and work. It’s like St. Benedict said; “Ora et labora”. But does a job in the video game industry really fulfill a healthy relationship with God? On the other hand, what kind of career would be better in that case? An office job wouldn’t exactly help me reach God any better. Maybe being a doctor would be good for that purpose since you help other people, but I can’t be a doctor.

I hope that you get the idea of what I am trying to say. In short; Is it wrong to have hobbies or jobs that doesn’t necessarily help you get closer to God?

I vaguely remember some priest talking on some show on EWTN. He talked about a way to distract one’s mind from temptation: one should remember something pleasant and innocent. The actual example concerned sailing, but I see no reason to think that flying a plane or playing a good video game couldn’t be used instead. They could also give a “pretext” for thanking God. Or they could be used to remind oneself about the goodness of God while preparing for confession. Or… Well, I guess you get the idea…