Embrace greater simplicity

CatholicAnchor.org
I have never made an actual count of it but I have a hunch that our reading room here at Holy Cross House where I live, subscribes to a total of 25 or more periodicals and newspapers. As you can imagine there are variant intellectual reading tastes among our residents, but, sadly, some of this material goes completely unread. We are being deluged with paper work. Yes, It may sound like a small matter for a house of 45 persons. However, being a congregation of priests and brothers who have vowed the practice of poverty, I sometimes wonder if we might want to do some serious thinking about engaging simplicity and a more uncomplicated way of life. Perhaps we could begin examining our reading habits.

After all, is that not what Pope Francis has been urging all Christians to do ever since he preached his first homily? “How I would like a church that is poor and for the poor.” he said.

Speaking of the church at large, the Pew Research Center found some years ago that there is a movement among the younger generation toward simplicity. They insist that they are spiritual but not religious and are inspired by simplicity.

They read the Gospels and find there, for instance, a Jesus who praises a humble woman who places her last coin in the temple collection box. Why did she not go to the market and buy some vegetables, a bottle of oil, some wine and matzo for supper for herself and her children? Jesus makes the point that she was willing to make this contribution because she herself was already living a simple life and knew what it meant for the poor to be poor.

Jesus goes on to say that this woman contributed to the temple because she had come to learn over her many years that the temple represented a sense of the sacred. For her, there was transcendence in that huge building. She needed to be able to say to herself, “This coin is a prayer to the God of Israel; it comes out of my heart; I am willing to live simply so that my God can be praised.”

Of course, it might be difficult to know what difference this one little coin made for the beauty of the temple or the state of the poor. But this was unimportant to the woman who was poor. It was perfectly appropriate for her to give away her last coin; she had a higher motivation than the rich who contributed out of their abundance.

It is not unseemly that we should be embarrassed by Jesus’ story of the woman who was poor. Could it be true to say that Pope Francis, following the model of Jesus, is willing to call us to rediscover a church of simplicity and humility because that best resembles what Jesus called God’s reign, God’s kingdom?

Finally, could we not say that there is a certain cleansing, purifying experience that invigorates our soul when we choose to give even a small portion out of our poverty for a noble purpose? I think that is what Jesus had in mind when he introduced us to the woman who was poor.

Scriptures for Nov. 8

1 Kings 17: 10-16

Hebrews 9: 24-28

Mark 12 38-44

The writer formerly served the Anchorage Archdiocese as director of pastoral education. He now lives in Notre Dame, Indiana.