Heb 12:18-19, 21-24; Ps 47; Mk 6:7-13
(A homily given to seminarians of St John Vianney Theological Seminary)
My dear seminarians, when you become priests, it would not be easy for you, as it is for me now, to keep a simple lifestyle. You know why? Normally, you would be receiving decent salaries or allowances from your parishes or places of assignments. You would have few or no direct mouths to feed. And so, you could easily use your money for your own personal needs or wants. Moreover, our people have very high regard for priests. Usually, they are extra generous to priests and they would shower you with gifts of cash and material things. Then, I also am thinking of the fact that many of us, when we were seminarians, were forced to live simply either because of the demands of the formation or because of poverty. As a result, when we become priests, we would easily enjoy the convenience and the material blessings that ordinarily come with the priesthood.
Please don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that all poor seminarians would become materialistic after their ordination. No. This might be the case of some, but it is not true always. In fact, we know of poor seminarians who continue to live a simple lifestyle as priests or as bishops. My only intention here is to remind us that the danger of becoming materialistic, of becoming too sophisticated, is so real in our situation as diocesan.
In today’s gospel, Jesus requires his disciples to travel light and to bring only the bare necessities as they make their missionary journeys (Mk 6:8-10). This gospel passage invites us to ask “Why is simplicity of life so essential for disciples, particularly for priests, religious and seminarians?” (The following five points are inspired by the article of Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan "Simplicity of Life" in Priests for the Third Millenium).
First of all, simplicity of life would make it easier for us to follow Jesus. The accumulation of many material things would distract our relationship with God and might lead us to think that happiness can come from what we have, not from who we are. Those of us who choose to live in simplicity would be freer to reach God.
Second, a simple lifestyle would bring us closer to the poor, who are the favored ones (anawim) of God. When we voluntarily embrace a simple life, we surely will develop a generous heart. The sharing of goods and resources would just flow naturally in our day to day encounters with the less fortunate ones.
Third, simplicity of life would be a constant reminder that only in God is our soul at rest, and that nothing in this world – no person, no car, no celfone and no bank account – will last or satisfy us forever. Only God can do that. Only He can quench our thirst for meaning and fulfillment.
Fourth, a simple lifestyle would encourage us to put our trust in Divine Providence instead of just ourselves or our possessions. The more comfortable and secure we are, financially and materially speaking, the less we count on God to give us what we truly need in life.
Finally, simplicity of life would be a powerful, visible message that we, priests, religious and seminarians, can give to the people. By living an uncomplicated life, we will be able to teach people the true meaning of poverty in spirit and to encourage them to share their material abundance with others.
The gospel of Matthew declares, “Happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Commenting on this passage, William Barclay says, “The man who is poor in spirit is the man who has realized that things mean nothing and that God means everything.”
(A homily given to seminarians of St John Vianney Theological Seminary)
My dear seminarians, when you become priests, it would not be easy for you, as it is for me now, to keep a simple lifestyle. You know why? Normally, you would be receiving decent salaries or allowances from your parishes or places of assignments. You would have few or no direct mouths to feed. And so, you could easily use your money for your own personal needs or wants. Moreover, our people have very high regard for priests. Usually, they are extra generous to priests and they would shower you with gifts of cash and material things. Then, I also am thinking of the fact that many of us, when we were seminarians, were forced to live simply either because of the demands of the formation or because of poverty. As a result, when we become priests, we would easily enjoy the convenience and the material blessings that ordinarily come with the priesthood.
Please don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that all poor seminarians would become materialistic after their ordination. No. This might be the case of some, but it is not true always. In fact, we know of poor seminarians who continue to live a simple lifestyle as priests or as bishops. My only intention here is to remind us that the danger of becoming materialistic, of becoming too sophisticated, is so real in our situation as diocesan.
In today’s gospel, Jesus requires his disciples to travel light and to bring only the bare necessities as they make their missionary journeys (Mk 6:8-10). This gospel passage invites us to ask “Why is simplicity of life so essential for disciples, particularly for priests, religious and seminarians?” (The following five points are inspired by the article of Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan "Simplicity of Life" in Priests for the Third Millenium).
First of all, simplicity of life would make it easier for us to follow Jesus. The accumulation of many material things would distract our relationship with God and might lead us to think that happiness can come from what we have, not from who we are. Those of us who choose to live in simplicity would be freer to reach God.
Second, a simple lifestyle would bring us closer to the poor, who are the favored ones (anawim) of God. When we voluntarily embrace a simple life, we surely will develop a generous heart. The sharing of goods and resources would just flow naturally in our day to day encounters with the less fortunate ones.
Third, simplicity of life would be a constant reminder that only in God is our soul at rest, and that nothing in this world – no person, no car, no celfone and no bank account – will last or satisfy us forever. Only God can do that. Only He can quench our thirst for meaning and fulfillment.
Fourth, a simple lifestyle would encourage us to put our trust in Divine Providence instead of just ourselves or our possessions. The more comfortable and secure we are, financially and materially speaking, the less we count on God to give us what we truly need in life.
Finally, simplicity of life would be a powerful, visible message that we, priests, religious and seminarians, can give to the people. By living an uncomplicated life, we will be able to teach people the true meaning of poverty in spirit and to encourage them to share their material abundance with others.
The gospel of Matthew declares, “Happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Commenting on this passage, William Barclay says, “The man who is poor in spirit is the man who has realized that things mean nothing and that God means everything.”
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