In those days Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles.   

“Where is the moment we needed the most? You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost. They tell me your blue skies fade to gray, they tell me your passion’s gone away. You stand in line just to hit a new low, you’re faking a smile with the coffee to go. You tell me your life’s been way off-line, you’re falling to pieces every time. ‘Cause you had a bad day. You sing a sad song just to turn it around, you work at a smile and you go for a ride. Well, you need a blue sky holiday.” 

What did Jesus do on "bad days"? The question presumes that he had bad days, of course, and because he had a human nature, there can be little doubt that he did experience those times, times when things did not work out the way he wanted. The Scriptures do not share with us what his bad days may have been, but if there is an indication from the rest of his life, we can guess that he spent time in prayer on those bad days.

As one pursues the Scriptures and particularly the pattern of how Jesus lived his human life, one immediately sees his dedication to prayer and especially before the moments in his life that can be considered “milestones,” like the selection of his Apostles and his own passion and death. One can guess that Jesus found true solace in talking to his Father in prayer, and more than enough comfort, or in terms of the song by Daniel Powter, what might be called a “blue sky holiday” to help him through the bad days.

Daniel Powter’s song “Bad Day” is almost a happy song about bad days. It is quite evident that the person in the song has had a bad day, and so, he sings that he is going to work at a smile and go for a ride, because he has to have a blue sky holiday. That is, he must have something that helps him get out of the problems that he is presently facing. “Blue sky holidays” might include anything from taking a moment to settle down to a two-week cruise on a luxury ship, but we all must have them if we are going to conquer the drudgeries and sometimes deliberate evils in life.

Or, as in Jesus’ life, perhaps a “blue sky holiday” might be quiet time in prayer, asking God for guidance, giving God the problems of the day, and in general, allowing God to lead us to work out a solution. Whatever way we may choose to overcome the bad days, we need to overcome them. We must learn to relax, retreat by ourselves, and think about what must be done to get us out of our bad days. Prayer to our God certainly should be part of the solution.                        

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son experienced times in his life that were very difficult. We know that many times he turned to you in prayer, seeking and receiving your guidance and help. May we also turn to you in prayer on our “bad days.” Be with us, we pray.

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America