LOVING your children but LETTING THEM GO...
DISAGREEING but supporting someone's FREEDOM OF SPEECH and RIGHT TO A DIFFERING OPINION...
Nowhere is this tension more evident than in HAVING POSSESSIONS - owning things, but not being OWNED by them.
In a Benedictine monastery, nobody was allowed to own anything - without the abbot's permission, that is. Yet everyone was provided with basic needs: a bed, food, clothing...
So the tension isn't so much for monks in monasteries, but for the rest of us, who need to provide ourselves and our families with homes, food, clothing - with all we need. How can we spend our lives working to provide these, without making the acquisition of THINGS our primary goal in living?
In a world where we respect those who are rich and successful, how do we reconcile our admiration for self-made millionaires with Jesus' words: It is easiser for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God...?
It is natural (and good) to want to build up (not tear down) our lives, careers, marriages and families. In fact, the Bible says: A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children. An inheritance can be a family tradition, but it is usually thought of in terms of possessions. We want to leave enough to meet our needs, with a enough left over to share with our children and grandchildren when we are gone.
I have no answers - but am left pondering some of the ideas in the book, Benedict's Way: "Above all, this poisoning practice, possession, must be uprooted and removed from the monastery." (RB 33:1)
His words seem so harsh, so strong...
The older I get, the more I realize how transient ownership is - houses are bought ...and sold, families move in ...and out. Yes, we all need a place of safety and rest, a place to call home. We all need clothes to wear. But people can be happy in small houses, with a few appropriate outfits. Moving to a larger home or buying more designer clothing doesn't automatically bring more happiness.
Happiness should be the goal - not possessions!
In a Benedictine monastery, nobody was allowed to own anything - without the abbot's permission, that is. Yet everyone was provided with basic needs: a bed, food, clothing...
So the tension isn't so much for monks in monasteries, but for the rest of us, who need to provide ourselves and our families with homes, food, clothing - with all we need. How can we spend our lives working to provide these, without making the acquisition of THINGS our primary goal in living?
In a world where we respect those who are rich and successful, how do we reconcile our admiration for self-made millionaires with Jesus' words: It is easiser for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God...?
It is natural (and good) to want to build up (not tear down) our lives, careers, marriages and families. In fact, the Bible says: A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children. An inheritance can be a family tradition, but it is usually thought of in terms of possessions. We want to leave enough to meet our needs, with a enough left over to share with our children and grandchildren when we are gone.
I have no answers - but am left pondering some of the ideas in the book, Benedict's Way: "Above all, this poisoning practice, possession, must be uprooted and removed from the monastery." (RB 33:1)
His words seem so harsh, so strong...
The older I get, the more I realize how transient ownership is - houses are bought ...and sold, families move in ...and out. Yes, we all need a place of safety and rest, a place to call home. We all need clothes to wear. But people can be happy in small houses, with a few appropriate outfits. Moving to a larger home or buying more designer clothing doesn't automatically bring more happiness.
Happiness should be the goal - not possessions!
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