Jesus Tried to Teach Us Long Ago
Last week, a popular news site posted a story entitled "Why this millennial quit his 6-figure job and gave away most of his possessions." The young man about whom the story was written admitted that his "six-figure salary, impressive [job] title, and big house full of stuffed closets" didn't fulfill his deepest longings. In fact, he noticed that his obsessive work habits and a vicious cycle of consumerism had destroyed his life and relationships, even his marriage. Thus, he turned to "minimalism,"which he defines as "a lifestyle dedicated to clearing the clutter in your life and making room for the things that are truly important to you."
This fellow is clearly on to something, except it isn't his original idea. The thing that this young man calls minimalism, the Church has called detachment for centuries; and it's the reality that Jesus called poverty of spirit, which He listed as the first Beatitude (Matthew 5:3). Indeed, followers of Christ have known since they heard history's greatest sermon that material wealth and status will not fulfill a human being's most basic desires. They have known and tried to teach that it is only in shedding attachment to things of this world that a person can make room for the One Thing that satisfies the human heart. (Note that teaching is one thing. Christians listening and actually applying this teaching in their lives is quite another.)
The salient point may already be clear. Nonetheless, it is important to explore a bit more fully what Jesus said and what He meant regarding poverty of spirit and detachment, or "minimalism" as the new age might call it. In fact, looking at the subject from the opposite angle might help to shed some new light and gain some new understanding. For this, St. Luke's account of the sermon on the plain is helpful (which is analogous to St. Matthew's Sermon on the Mount)
The evangelist first recounts the blessings that will be levied upon certain groups due to their faithfulness to God's design. Then, Luke recounts Jesus' rebukes to some others. The first is germane to this discussion: "But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation" (Luke 6:24). We must not ignore this important fact in Jesus' teaching. Attachment to earthly wealth is a fleeting consolation which is incompatible with inheritance of the kingdom of God. This is true in the present as well as at the end of time. Those who are attached to material wealth cannot notice the beauty of what Christ wants to provide in their lives at this very moment, let alone when He returns in glory.
This is the very reason that people would decide to give away most or all of what they have. They have been nudged by the Holy Spirit, and they want to be open and ready for the glorious riches that the Divine will bestow in unexpected ways. This has been true since the time of Christ, and we see it in people such as the disciples in the New Testament scriptures, many saints throughout the history of the Catholic Church (like St. Antony of Egypt, St. Benedict, or Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati), and modern folks (like Pope Francis and the young millennial written about). Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Thus, these divine persons will call human persons in every age to detach themselves of what hinders them from being truly fulfilled.
According to the article, this minimalist also teaches others to scale back. The first three steps that he teaches are listed within the article. Those who want to become minimalists must ask how life might be better with fewer material possessions. Then, they must slowly begin shedding things so as to build momentum in this movement. The third necessary step according to the article is to recruit a friend to help. These also are great thoughts, but they also have been taught by Christians before.
Christians who are seeking to cultivate the virtue of detachment know these three steps very well. The first step Christians call prayer. If we only ask ourselves what needs to be shed, there is potential for making excuses. It is always better to ask God what His desires are for one's life, and then wrestle with trying to conform. The second step is what Christians mean by growing into a virtue. Virtues do not pop up in our lives overnight. Rather, they take much time and habitual effort. Because Lent is fast approaching, now would be a good time to think about developing detachment during those 40 days. Finally, recruiting a friend to help is the essence of growing in the Christian and virtuous life. We cannot grow in the spiritual life by ourselves, because that's not how God made us. He made us to be in community, and that community can hold us accountable to virtuous standards, the standards that will help get us to heaven.
See, Jesus tried to teach us this concept long ago. Perhaps minimalism is nothing new. Perhaps human beings have simply failed to listen because of the tsunami of marketing and advertising that causes us to believe that our ultimate happiness is in amassed wealth. Give the virtue of detachment a try instead. Try it for 40 days during Lent. I guarantee that you'll be changed for the better.
This fellow is clearly on to something, except it isn't his original idea. The thing that this young man calls minimalism, the Church has called detachment for centuries; and it's the reality that Jesus called poverty of spirit, which He listed as the first Beatitude (Matthew 5:3). Indeed, followers of Christ have known since they heard history's greatest sermon that material wealth and status will not fulfill a human being's most basic desires. They have known and tried to teach that it is only in shedding attachment to things of this world that a person can make room for the One Thing that satisfies the human heart. (Note that teaching is one thing. Christians listening and actually applying this teaching in their lives is quite another.)
The evangelist first recounts the blessings that will be levied upon certain groups due to their faithfulness to God's design. Then, Luke recounts Jesus' rebukes to some others. The first is germane to this discussion: "But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation" (Luke 6:24). We must not ignore this important fact in Jesus' teaching. Attachment to earthly wealth is a fleeting consolation which is incompatible with inheritance of the kingdom of God. This is true in the present as well as at the end of time. Those who are attached to material wealth cannot notice the beauty of what Christ wants to provide in their lives at this very moment, let alone when He returns in glory.
According to the article, this minimalist also teaches others to scale back. The first three steps that he teaches are listed within the article. Those who want to become minimalists must ask how life might be better with fewer material possessions. Then, they must slowly begin shedding things so as to build momentum in this movement. The third necessary step according to the article is to recruit a friend to help. These also are great thoughts, but they also have been taught by Christians before.
Christians who are seeking to cultivate the virtue of detachment know these three steps very well. The first step Christians call prayer. If we only ask ourselves what needs to be shed, there is potential for making excuses. It is always better to ask God what His desires are for one's life, and then wrestle with trying to conform. The second step is what Christians mean by growing into a virtue. Virtues do not pop up in our lives overnight. Rather, they take much time and habitual effort. Because Lent is fast approaching, now would be a good time to think about developing detachment during those 40 days. Finally, recruiting a friend to help is the essence of growing in the Christian and virtuous life. We cannot grow in the spiritual life by ourselves, because that's not how God made us. He made us to be in community, and that community can hold us accountable to virtuous standards, the standards that will help get us to heaven.
See, Jesus tried to teach us this concept long ago. Perhaps minimalism is nothing new. Perhaps human beings have simply failed to listen because of the tsunami of marketing and advertising that causes us to believe that our ultimate happiness is in amassed wealth. Give the virtue of detachment a try instead. Try it for 40 days during Lent. I guarantee that you'll be changed for the better.
