Live Simply - week 4

It seems fitting this Christmas to be looking at the part of the Live Simply promise that says that we choose to live in solidarity with the poor. This is because today we celebrate the birth of the Christ child. God With Us who was born into the humble surroundings of a stable. He dwelt amongst us in grace and truth. Living simply and in solidarity with the poor he taught us about God and the love that God has for each one of us.

At the start of Luke's gospel Jesus uses words of the prophet Isaiah to announce the purpose of his own ministry "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." (Luke 4:17-21).

It seems to me that if we are to be true followers of Jesus we need to take on the same priorities that he has. One of the ways that we can do this is to take steps to understand that in his ministry he reached out to the poor.

He exercised what the church now calls a "preferential option for the poor". The church has come to recognise that when you serve the poor you are responding to a call that comes from God and so you serve Jesus himself. This may sound strange so I suggest that in order to try and understand further you meditate this week on the following:

• "I tell you, indeed whenever you did this for one of the least important of these brothers of mine you did it for me!" (Matthew 25:40). The longer passage can be found between verses 31 and 40

• A quote from St. Augustine "God does not demand much of you. He asks back what he gave you, and from him you take what is enough for you. The superfluities of the rich are the necessities of the poor. When you possess superfluities, you possess what belongs to others." from an Exposition on Psalm 147:12.
  

Putting together this reflection over Advent has challenged me to review my own priorities. Especially this week!

Live Simply - week 3

This week I focus on the part of the promise that says that I will live sustainably. A close friend of mine has already pointed out that this is the area I will have most difficulty bearing mind my various failings with recycling!

To deal with the why first. It stems I believe from the inter connectedness of all things. My actions or lack of action will have an effect on someone on the other side of the world. We had an example of this only this week on the news. When they told us that the price of maize has increased because of the USA's increased success at turning Maize into ethanol. This has a knock on effect of increasing the price of all sorts of products that use maize. Some of which I would never have thought of. So like it or not we are connected to the other side of the world. What we buy or don't buy and what we do and don't do has an effect. To discern what is the right action is the challenge that faces people of all faiths. To live sustainably means that we are living in obedience to the command to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. If you are looking for a loophole you might say "the people on the other side of the world are not my neighbour!" Jesus once answered the question "who is my neighbour" with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25). His words to the enquirer always reach my heart and remind me that if I am to live the gospel authentically I must have goodwill of all people in my mind and in my actions.

So in 2008 I will resolve to make more of an effort to have in mind how I use and share the world's resources. I will find out how to do this as well!

Live Simply - week 2

Last week I looked at the Live Simply promise. This week my aim is to reflect on what it means to fulfil the part of the promise that says we will 'live simply'.

I have had to think long and hard about this and I want to share with you an approach that works for me using two passages of scripture.

To live simply I need to remember that the true value of my life is not to be found in what I own or how much I have in my bank account. Or even in how fancy my possessions look when compared to those of my friends. To remember that at the end of my life I can take nothing of this with me.

It seems to me that the important thing is that I focus my hearts desire differently. My true riches are to be found not in the material world but instead in my relationships with others. Jesus said 'your heart will always be where your riches are' Luke 12.34. I need perhaps to say that phrase to myself regularly. So that I can change where my heart is at. To refocus my heart so that my decision is that my riches are now going to be found in relationships. And that I am no longer so concerned with the accumulation of wealth. The assets that I do own I surrender to use for building relationships or building community.

The second piece of scripture that I found useful is from St Paul.

Philippians 4:12-13, TLB. "I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of contentment in every situation, whether it be a full stomach or hunger, plenty or want; for I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power"

He talks here - and I think elsewhere about living in times of plenty and in times of hardship and yet being content in both. And I think that is what happens when we give up the unequal struggle with our possessions and discover the peace that can be found in Christ.

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!