Kings of Summer – Overview
Summer can be a hard time in the spiritual life, when we get out of our normal rhythm and go on vacation. After finishing two strong liturgical seasons in Lent and Easter, we may also experience a let down by entering into “ordinary” time. We can help men to experience this time of leisure with greater intentionality, relaxing in a healthy and holy way, keeping some consistency with prayer, and continuing to grow in virtue.
Two years ago we focused on overcoming sloth and pride in our first Kings of Summer challenge and the topic resonated with men and seemed to fit the season. Summer can be a time of sloth, when we let our guard down and can fall into sin like David standing on his room top letting his eyes roam. David had to deal with the violent effects of sin through disorder in his family, but he did repent and turned back faithfully to the Lord.
Like the kings of the Old Testament and throughout Church history, we can exercise vigilance, fight the necessary battles against vice, and lead others. Kingship may seem foreign in many ways today but kings model handling the responsibilities of life either in faithfulness to the Lord or badly by giving into one’s selfish impulses. These are men of the world, who are fathers, who fight battles, and strive to follow the Lord in the midst of the world and its burdens.
Our predominant themes for summer, therefore, are: 1) entering into holy and healthy leisure rather than falling into sloth, and 2) growing in virtue in imitation of holy kings. Christ invites us to reign with him by ordering our lives through his grace and serving all those he has placed into our lives, imitating the great kings of old.
Kings of Summer – Gameplan
Summer offers us a needed time of relaxation for time with family and leisure. But, if we are not careful, we can let down our guard spiritually. If we fall out of our rhythm of prayer and discipline, it will be harder to pick things back up when summer has ended. While we relax and embrace leisure, we can also stay vigilant, finding a restful balance in the struggle against sloth and pride. The battle of virtue and vice never relents, but the Lord still invites us to enter into his rest.
We will follow the stories of the Kings Saul and David in 1 Samuel, looking at how they responded to God’s will but also fell into sin. God called them both to serve his people. Saul fell into prideful disobedience, while David, despite his failures, remained a man after God’s own heart. Their examples help us to take in the ultimate stakes of our daily battle and how we can rightly order things within and around us in a kingly fashion.
Kingship may seem distant and remote from our daily lives, but kings are men who lead, seeking to create order and stability for those who depend upon them. To be a successful king, it is necessary to be a man of virtue and integrity. Supporting our biblical exploration of kingship, therefore, we will look at the practical example of the great Christian kings as models of holiness through the fulfillment of our duties. These are men of the world: fathers, who cared for others and fought battles, striving to follow the Lord in the joys and burdens of daily life.
Kings of Summer –Disciplines
- Read Kings of Summer Reading & Reflection
- 20 Minutes of Silent Prayer
- Enter your kingship through acts of service
- Imitate the virtue of saint-kings, following daily biopic
- Cultivate a habit of leisure
- No Meat Fridays
- Celebrate the Lord’s Day
- Fraternity meeting or gathering with families
