When less is more
Published Nov 7, 2021 12:12 am
THROUGH UNTRUE
Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P.
Every disaster brings out the best and the worst in us. For instance, during this pandemic, many people have become paranoid and panicky, behaving selfishly, and looking only after their own interests without regard to ethical principles and social norms.
But there are many who choose to alleviate the suffering of others by donating money, groceries, and medication, and by volunteering in charitable projects for the most vulnerable. At the height of the pandemic, we have seen a widespread and consistent show of generosity, a patent proof that when people are most in need, that's when they become most willing to give.
This is well expressed in today's Gospel reading. Jesus observes that rich people donate large sums to the temple treasury, while a poor widow puts in two small coins worth a few cents. Jesus says that the poor widow is actually more generous than the rich donors. The rich give from their surplus, while the poor widow, even if she is most in need, willingly gives up even the little that she has (Mark 12:38-44).
Generosity is a difficult virtue. Perhaps because we don't have the habit of giving up things. Worse, the older we become, the harder it is for us to throw away things that we don't need. Our cabinets groan under the weight of accumulated clothes, goods, and trinkets which we don't use. Every day we are torn between the desire to give away things and our fear of losing them.
St. Augustine writes that one of the best ways to overcome such a fear is to consciously think that we don’t own them. How can you ever lose something which you never claimed to be yours? He also advised us that happiness does not consist in having much, but in needing less.
This is perhaps why Jesus put spiritual poverty as the first among the beatitudes. “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). The poor in spirit does not refer to the person without money, home and other necessities in life. Rather, he is the person who, having mastered the art of detachment, is not afraid to let go of anything because he knows he cannot own them forever.
When we practice giving up things, we learn to cut off our attachments to trivialities and focus on the essentials. We learn to empty our lives of material and emotional clutter that blur our vision and distort our priorities. We thus become more attentive to the value, not price tags, of what we have. We become more patient with delayed gratification, and we are more open to the joys of simple living.
As Sarah Ban Breathnach writes in her penetrating book Simple Abundance: "When we appreciate how much we have, we feel the urge to pare down, get back to basics and learn what is essential for our happiness. Less is more.”
If we come to think of it, what we are most afraid to give up are not things, but the intangibles of life, like security, independence, prestige, honor, respect, comfort and above all, love. Since we cannot hoard these intangibles, we accumulate things as a cheap substitute.
All the crusades and movements to eradicate poverty in our country will never succeed unless these are reinforced by teaching people that it is better to need less, than to have much. As one song goes: "There's enough for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed."
Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P.
Every disaster brings out the best and the worst in us. For instance, during this pandemic, many people have become paranoid and panicky, behaving selfishly, and looking only after their own interests without regard to ethical principles and social norms.
But there are many who choose to alleviate the suffering of others by donating money, groceries, and medication, and by volunteering in charitable projects for the most vulnerable. At the height of the pandemic, we have seen a widespread and consistent show of generosity, a patent proof that when people are most in need, that's when they become most willing to give.
This is well expressed in today's Gospel reading. Jesus observes that rich people donate large sums to the temple treasury, while a poor widow puts in two small coins worth a few cents. Jesus says that the poor widow is actually more generous than the rich donors. The rich give from their surplus, while the poor widow, even if she is most in need, willingly gives up even the little that she has (Mark 12:38-44).
Generosity is a difficult virtue. Perhaps because we don't have the habit of giving up things. Worse, the older we become, the harder it is for us to throw away things that we don't need. Our cabinets groan under the weight of accumulated clothes, goods, and trinkets which we don't use. Every day we are torn between the desire to give away things and our fear of losing them.
St. Augustine writes that one of the best ways to overcome such a fear is to consciously think that we don’t own them. How can you ever lose something which you never claimed to be yours? He also advised us that happiness does not consist in having much, but in needing less.
This is perhaps why Jesus put spiritual poverty as the first among the beatitudes. “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). The poor in spirit does not refer to the person without money, home and other necessities in life. Rather, he is the person who, having mastered the art of detachment, is not afraid to let go of anything because he knows he cannot own them forever.
When we practice giving up things, we learn to cut off our attachments to trivialities and focus on the essentials. We learn to empty our lives of material and emotional clutter that blur our vision and distort our priorities. We thus become more attentive to the value, not price tags, of what we have. We become more patient with delayed gratification, and we are more open to the joys of simple living.
As Sarah Ban Breathnach writes in her penetrating book Simple Abundance: "When we appreciate how much we have, we feel the urge to pare down, get back to basics and learn what is essential for our happiness. Less is more.”
If we come to think of it, what we are most afraid to give up are not things, but the intangibles of life, like security, independence, prestige, honor, respect, comfort and above all, love. Since we cannot hoard these intangibles, we accumulate things as a cheap substitute.
All the crusades and movements to eradicate poverty in our country will never succeed unless these are reinforced by teaching people that it is better to need less, than to have much. As one song goes: "There's enough for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed."