Live Simply

On Saturday I went to Westminster Cathedral to a CAFOD service of rededication to the Live Simply promise.

The three elements of the promise are to to live simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the poor. More can be found on the CAFOD website.

As my advent exercise and in readiness for the coming of Jesus at Christmas I thought I would begin a four week reflection on the promise. This week is a general one, week 2 Simplicity, week 3 sustainably, week 4 solidarity.

The question that I want to look at first of all is why we might want to get involved in this at all. I think for me the reason is based in a call, which I think comes from God, to recognise what I have in common with the rest of humanity. And the need I find that I have to give a good answer to the question "do I make the world a better place by my actions?" and I think in Christian terms this is rooted in the call to love. You will remember that God asks that we love ourselves and our neighbour in the same way that we love ourselves. For me that love also means together with the rest of humankind keeping the world in a good or better state than I found it!