IV. JOY AND PEACE
222. Christian spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life, and encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption. We need to take up an ancient lesson, found in different religious traditions and also in the Bible. It is the conviction that “less is more”. A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment. To be serenely present to each reality, however small it may be, opens us to much greater horizons of understanding and personal fulfilment. Christian spirituality proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little. It is a return to that simplicity which allows us to stop and appreciate the small things, to be grateful for the opportunities which life affords us, to be spiritually detached from what we possess, and not to succumb to sadness for what we lack. This implies avoiding the dynamic of dominion and the mere accumulation of pleasures.
When the expression "Less is more" is used in the political paradigm of the USA it means there are cuts to such programs as Food Stamps. No lie. No joke. The self-righteous Republicans will state there are plenty of church organizations running collections of food that cuts to such programs won't matter and everything will be fine.
The Holy Father asks Catholics to look into their lives of consumerism and to do more with less. He asks this for very solid reasons that are environmental. Consumerism requires energy. Now, either consumers demand clear energy that will not cause warming of Earth or they simply don't have all the trappings of modernism in their lives in order to cut down on the use of energy sources harming other people.
He sincerely means this. He is not writing empty words for his own historical attempts at spiritual purity. Pope Francis is not a man of extravagance. He has demonstrated his humility in front of the world. He expects those that follow him to take notice of his example.
223. Such sobriety, when lived freely and consciously, is liberating. It is not a lesser life or one lived with less intensity. On the contrary, it is a way of living life to the full. In reality, those who enjoy more and live better each moment are those who have given up dipping here and there, always on the look-out for what they do not have. They experience what it means to appreciate each person and each thing, learning familiarity with the simplest things and how to enjoy them. So they are able to shed unsatisfied needs, reducing their obsessiveness and weariness. Even living on little, they can live a lot, above all when they cultivate other pleasures and find satisfaction in fraternal encounters, in service, in developing their gifts, in music and art, in contact with nature, in prayer. Happiness means knowing how to limit some needs which only diminish us, and being open to the many different possibilities which life can offer.
Ever reflect on ones own spiritual poverty? That is what Pope Francis is writing about. He has great empathy for the poor. But, he is now demanding all God's children to understand the spiritual poverty that exists in the kind of life that has allowed such tragedy on Earth. He called it a desert. These paragraphs are more depth and direction for the faithful.
224. Sobriety and humility were not favourably regarded in the last century. And yet, when there is a general breakdown in the exercise of a certain virtue in personal and social life, it ends up causing a number of imbalances, including environmental ones. That is why it is no longer enough to speak only of the integrity of ecosystems. We have to dare to speak of the integrity of human life, of the need to promote and unify all the great values. Once we lose our humility, and become enthralled with the possibility of limitless mastery over everything, we inevitably end up harming society and the environment. It is not easy to promote this kind of healthy humility or happy sobriety when we consider ourselves autonomous, when we exclude God from our lives or replace him with our own ego, and think that our subjective feelings can define what is right and what is wrong.
I don't see this as a matter of radical change. I see this as a call for awareness AND MOVEMENT. Pope Francis is asking the faithful to come to terms of their own willingness to ignore what they believe they have no control over. Lacking personal control is an excuse from Pope Francis. He understands God and the faith, his demands are just and reasonable. He wants the faithful to reach more deeply into a life of dedication to GOODNESS on the path of faithfulness. It is not about prayers alone, although there are two prayers within this document to help personal reflection. It is about changing the way we do things without excuses. He stated to view the world from within and not without. Pope Francis firmly believes spiritual reflection will change the world. I believe he is correct. A person can change their world when they live what they believe.
225. On the other hand, no one can cultivate a sober and satisfying life without being at peace with him or herself. An adequate understanding of spirituality consists in filling out what we mean by peace, which is much more than the absence of war. Inner peace is closely related to care for ecology and for the common good because, lived out authentically, it is reflected in a balanced lifestyle together with a capacity for wonder which takes us to a deeper understanding of life. Nature is filled with words of love, but how can we listen to them amid constant noise, interminable and nerve-wracking distractions, or the cult of appearances? Many people today sense a profound imbalance which drives them to frenetic activity and makes them feel busy, in a constant hurry which in turn leads them to ride rough-shod over everything around them. This too affects how they treat the environment. An integral ecology includes taking time to recover a serene harmony with creation, reflecting on our lifestyle and our ideals, and contemplating the Creator who lives among us and surrounds us, whose presence “must not be contrived but found, uncovered”.[155]
Spirituality can be revealed in the moment and not in things. Spirituality is a matter of thought and not materialism. It can only be REVEALED with contemplation. Sincere seeking often brings people to their leaders, in this case priests. Those that already made the trip.
226. We are speaking of an attitude of the heart, one which approaches life with serene attentiveness, which is capable of being fully present to someone without thinking of what comes next, which accepts each moment as a gift from God to be lived to the full. Jesus taught us this attitude when he invited us to contemplate the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, or when seeing the rich young man and knowing his restlessness, “he looked at him with love” (Mk 10:21). He was completely present to everyone and to everything, and in this way he showed us the way to overcome that unhealthy anxiety which makes us superficial, aggressive and compulsive consumers.
227. One expression of this attitude is when we stop and give thanks to God before and after meals. I ask all believers to return to this beautiful and meaningful custom. That moment of blessing, however brief, reminds us of our dependence on God for life; it strengthens our feeling of gratitude for the gifts of creation; it acknowledges those who by their labours provide us with these goods; and it reaffirms our solidarity with those in greatest need.
222. Christian spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life, and encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption. We need to take up an ancient lesson, found in different religious traditions and also in the Bible. It is the conviction that “less is more”. A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment. To be serenely present to each reality, however small it may be, opens us to much greater horizons of understanding and personal fulfilment. Christian spirituality proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little. It is a return to that simplicity which allows us to stop and appreciate the small things, to be grateful for the opportunities which life affords us, to be spiritually detached from what we possess, and not to succumb to sadness for what we lack. This implies avoiding the dynamic of dominion and the mere accumulation of pleasures.
When the expression "Less is more" is used in the political paradigm of the USA it means there are cuts to such programs as Food Stamps. No lie. No joke. The self-righteous Republicans will state there are plenty of church organizations running collections of food that cuts to such programs won't matter and everything will be fine.
The Holy Father asks Catholics to look into their lives of consumerism and to do more with less. He asks this for very solid reasons that are environmental. Consumerism requires energy. Now, either consumers demand clear energy that will not cause warming of Earth or they simply don't have all the trappings of modernism in their lives in order to cut down on the use of energy sources harming other people.
He sincerely means this. He is not writing empty words for his own historical attempts at spiritual purity. Pope Francis is not a man of extravagance. He has demonstrated his humility in front of the world. He expects those that follow him to take notice of his example.
223. Such sobriety, when lived freely and consciously, is liberating. It is not a lesser life or one lived with less intensity. On the contrary, it is a way of living life to the full. In reality, those who enjoy more and live better each moment are those who have given up dipping here and there, always on the look-out for what they do not have. They experience what it means to appreciate each person and each thing, learning familiarity with the simplest things and how to enjoy them. So they are able to shed unsatisfied needs, reducing their obsessiveness and weariness. Even living on little, they can live a lot, above all when they cultivate other pleasures and find satisfaction in fraternal encounters, in service, in developing their gifts, in music and art, in contact with nature, in prayer. Happiness means knowing how to limit some needs which only diminish us, and being open to the many different possibilities which life can offer.
Ever reflect on ones own spiritual poverty? That is what Pope Francis is writing about. He has great empathy for the poor. But, he is now demanding all God's children to understand the spiritual poverty that exists in the kind of life that has allowed such tragedy on Earth. He called it a desert. These paragraphs are more depth and direction for the faithful.
224. Sobriety and humility were not favourably regarded in the last century. And yet, when there is a general breakdown in the exercise of a certain virtue in personal and social life, it ends up causing a number of imbalances, including environmental ones. That is why it is no longer enough to speak only of the integrity of ecosystems. We have to dare to speak of the integrity of human life, of the need to promote and unify all the great values. Once we lose our humility, and become enthralled with the possibility of limitless mastery over everything, we inevitably end up harming society and the environment. It is not easy to promote this kind of healthy humility or happy sobriety when we consider ourselves autonomous, when we exclude God from our lives or replace him with our own ego, and think that our subjective feelings can define what is right and what is wrong.
I don't see this as a matter of radical change. I see this as a call for awareness AND MOVEMENT. Pope Francis is asking the faithful to come to terms of their own willingness to ignore what they believe they have no control over. Lacking personal control is an excuse from Pope Francis. He understands God and the faith, his demands are just and reasonable. He wants the faithful to reach more deeply into a life of dedication to GOODNESS on the path of faithfulness. It is not about prayers alone, although there are two prayers within this document to help personal reflection. It is about changing the way we do things without excuses. He stated to view the world from within and not without. Pope Francis firmly believes spiritual reflection will change the world. I believe he is correct. A person can change their world when they live what they believe.
225. On the other hand, no one can cultivate a sober and satisfying life without being at peace with him or herself. An adequate understanding of spirituality consists in filling out what we mean by peace, which is much more than the absence of war. Inner peace is closely related to care for ecology and for the common good because, lived out authentically, it is reflected in a balanced lifestyle together with a capacity for wonder which takes us to a deeper understanding of life. Nature is filled with words of love, but how can we listen to them amid constant noise, interminable and nerve-wracking distractions, or the cult of appearances? Many people today sense a profound imbalance which drives them to frenetic activity and makes them feel busy, in a constant hurry which in turn leads them to ride rough-shod over everything around them. This too affects how they treat the environment. An integral ecology includes taking time to recover a serene harmony with creation, reflecting on our lifestyle and our ideals, and contemplating the Creator who lives among us and surrounds us, whose presence “must not be contrived but found, uncovered”.[155]
Spirituality can be revealed in the moment and not in things. Spirituality is a matter of thought and not materialism. It can only be REVEALED with contemplation. Sincere seeking often brings people to their leaders, in this case priests. Those that already made the trip.
226. We are speaking of an attitude of the heart, one which approaches life with serene attentiveness, which is capable of being fully present to someone without thinking of what comes next, which accepts each moment as a gift from God to be lived to the full. Jesus taught us this attitude when he invited us to contemplate the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, or when seeing the rich young man and knowing his restlessness, “he looked at him with love” (Mk 10:21). He was completely present to everyone and to everything, and in this way he showed us the way to overcome that unhealthy anxiety which makes us superficial, aggressive and compulsive consumers.
227. One expression of this attitude is when we stop and give thanks to God before and after meals. I ask all believers to return to this beautiful and meaningful custom. That moment of blessing, however brief, reminds us of our dependence on God for life; it strengthens our feeling of gratitude for the gifts of creation; it acknowledges those who by their labours provide us with these goods; and it reaffirms our solidarity with those in greatest need.
