Richard considers Francis and Clare of Assisi models of the liberation and joy of letting go.
When Francis said, after kissing the leper, “I left the world,” he was saying that he was giving up on the usual payoffs, constraints, and rewards of business-as-usual and was choosing to live in the largest kingdom of all. To pray and actually mean “thy kingdom come,” we must also be able to say, “my kingdoms go.” At best, most Christians split their loyalties between God and Caesar, but Francis and Clare did not. Their first citizenship was always, and in every case, elsewhere, which paradoxically allowed them to live in this world with joy, detachment, and freedom (see Philippians 3:20).
When we agree to live simply, we put ourselves outside of others’ ability to buy us off, reward us falsely, or control us by money, status, punishment, and loss or gain. This is the most radical level of freedom, but, of course, it’s not easy to come by. Francis and Clare created a life in which they had little to lose, no desire for gain, no debts to pay, and no luxuries they needed or wanted. Most of us can only envy them.
When we agree to live simply, we can understand what Francis meant when he said, “A man had not yet given up everything for God as long as he held on to the moneybag of his own opinions.” [1] Most of us find that this purse is far more dangerous than a money purse, and we seldom let go of it.
When we agree to live simply, we don’t consider people who are immigrants, refugees, or unhoused as a threat or as competition. We’ve chosen their marginal state for ourselves—freely and consciously becoming “visitors and pilgrims” in this world, as Francis puts it (quoting 1 Peter 2:11). A simple lifestyle is quite simply an act of solidarity with the way most people have lived since the beginnings of humanity.
When we voluntarily agree to live simply, we don’t need to get into the frenzy of work for the sake of salary or the ability to buy nonessentials or raise our social standing. We enjoy the freedom of not climbing. We might climb for the sake of others, but not just for ourselves.
When we agree to live simply, we have time for spiritual and corporal works of mercy, prayer, service, and justice work, because we have renegotiated in our minds and hearts our very understanding of time and its purposes. Time is not money, despite the common aphorism. Time is life itself!
When we agree to live simply, people cease to be possessions and objects for our consumption or use. Our lust for relationships or for others to serve us, our need for admiration, our desire to use people or things as commodities for our personal pleasure, and any need to control and manipulate others, slowly—yes, very slowly—falls away. Only then are we truly free to love.
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| There is No Escape Clause |
 No one can deny that mobile phones have profoundly changed the way we live, and many people now consider the devices essential to their lives. A Pew Research study found many teens put their phones in the same category as air and water, and would rather have a finger amputated than give up their smartphone.The rise of devotion to our phones has had an inverse effect on our commitment to virtually everything else. In the past, less immediate communication meant plans had to be made and committed to well in advance. Today, plans are held loosely, can be amended on the fly with a quick text, or can be dropped at the last minute. Mobile access to social media also fuels FOMO (fear of missing out), which further erodes any incentive to make firm commitments. Options must be kept open in case something more exciting appears. This constant access to information and communication means our commitments now carry an implicit or explicit escape clause. “I’ll be at the dinner unless a better opportunity comes along in which case I’ll text you.”For every decision or commitment we make, we are forsaking all of the other decisions we could have made instead. Economists refer to this as the “opportunity cost.” Consider how much easier it is to order at Chipotle with its very limited menu versus ordering at The Cheesecake Factory where the menu is a 21-page spiral-bound book. When we perceive there to be few opportunities, it’s easier to make commitments. But the more opportunities we have, the more difficult it becomes to choose just one. Smartphones are an infinite scroll of opportunities; an endless menu of people and experiences. It’s no wonder Millennials are suffering from prolonged adolescence. Maturing into adulthood, after all, is defined by the ability to make and keep commitments.Our generation’s aversion to commitment makes Jesus’ parables about discipleship that much more challenging. He tells us to “count the cost” before we make the choice to follow. Those costs including the many opportunities we will miss because we’ve chosen Jesus’ way rather than another path. And unlike the loose commitments that we expect in our culture, when we commit to Jesus there is no escape clause in the contract. There is no going back, no reverse gear, no jumping ship when something better comes along. And, as the parables make clear, the failure to complete what we’ve started will bring shame and ridicule.Therefore, we must ask ourselves and those who identify themselves as a follower of Jesus whether we’re committed to finishing what we’ve begun. Do we have what it takes to stay the course? Will we abandon Jesus when a better opportunity presents itself or when the first signs of trouble appear? As Klyne Snodgrass says, “To say ‘Jesus is Lord,” does not mean ‘Jesus is Lord unless….’”DAILY SCRIPTURE LUKE 14:25-32 LUKE 9:57-62 ROMANS 5:1-5 WEEKLY PRAYERFrom G.K. Chesterton (1874 – 1936) O God of earth and altar, Bow down and hear our cry, Our earthly rulers falter, Our people drift and die; The walls of gold entomb us, The swords of scorn divide, Take not your thunder from us, but take away our pride! From all that terror teaches, From lies of tongue and pen, From all the easy speeches, That comfort cruel men, From sale and profanation Of honor and the sword, From sleep and from damnation, Deliver us, good Lord. Amen. |
