Having Fun
"Where joylessness reigns, where humor dies, the spirit of Jesus is assuredly absent." Pope Benedict XVI
At first glance it might seem ridiculous to suggest that the God who took on human flesh, suffered, died, and was buried for our sins and rose from the grave for the salvation of the world, that God, might be seriously interested in our having fun. Doesn't God have more important things to do than worry about my happiness at this moment?
There is something true about God's transcendence and distance from his creation, but it is also true that we were made in God's image and likeness, and that is no small thing. God, our creator, made us to be like him: he made us to create with him. This ability to create is tied to our ability to recreate from the start (the words even share the same root: creare in latin). Crazy as it seems, to have fun is actually an expression of our desire to be like God as much as possible, a desire planted in us by God and fulfilled when we live our lives joyfully to the greatest extent!
In living this way, not only do we glorify God, but we bring God into every moment of our life. Where does our joy come from? From the radiance of Christ's life within us. Nothing is boring for the Christian except sin. We are called to a radical joy which conquers all fear, all malaise, all acedia. From the Catholic perspective, the good times in life are a participation in God's inner glory, not in some abstract way, but in the way of real presence: God is with us.
In living this way, not only do we glorify God, but we bring God into every moment of our life. Where does our joy come from? From the radiance of Christ's life within us. Nothing is boring for the Christian except sin. We are called to a radical joy which conquers all fear, all malaise, all acedia. From the Catholic perspective, the good times in life are a participation in God's inner glory, not in some abstract way, but in the way of real presence: God is with us.
"Christianity is, by its very nature, joy." Pope Benedict XVI
Tolle Lege Summer Institute takes pains in all things to do justice to our nature as human beings. Having fun is no exception. Each day is designed to be a day packed with engaging and actually awesome events. If class or prayer isn't the best part of the day, lunch with the crew, ultimate frisbee, cookouts poolside, movie night, Public Square escapades, hiking, late nights in the lounge, Little Italy, or being chill at Jacob's field probably was.
The secret isn't just an epic program, however, but an environment in which everyone feels the freedom to share the joy of the moment through and through. Recreation is built into the TL week, not in order to make fun, but in order to facilitate it: the fun, the excitement is already within. It is the mission of Tolle Lege Camp to encourage every individual to let the splendor of their joy shine.
The secret isn't just an epic program, however, but an environment in which everyone feels the freedom to share the joy of the moment through and through. Recreation is built into the TL week, not in order to make fun, but in order to facilitate it: the fun, the excitement is already within. It is the mission of Tolle Lege Camp to encourage every individual to let the splendor of their joy shine.