.
This is the child I prayed for,
and the Lord granted me
what I asked him.
Now I make him
over to the Lord
for the whole of his life.
He is made over to the Lord.’
1 Sam 1
I was happy to be in the Selwyn parish yesterday with morning Masses in Darfield and Rolleston. Chatting to people as they arrived it was clear that these pre-Christmas days are not particularly relaxed for most people.
Not only in these days but throughout the year a lot of people are carrying a lot.
For me, the past couple of years, beginning with my 2024 Sabbatical, have been a time of significant reflection. Before heading overseas I made a decision to declutter and to downsize.
Once the decision was made I acted quickly. Along with many bits and pieces which I had accumulated over the years I gave away books books and more books. In fact almost ten-shelf-metres of books.
Then I decided to spend my five sabbatical months with only one small piece of carry-on luggage. When I first thought of doing this it seemed impossible. People thought I was crazy. Perhaps their response convinced me to stubbornly stick to my idea.
So I spent five months living out of one carry-on bag.
The feeling of freedom was immediate and the lightness I felt as the books went and I headed overseas with the carry-on has stayed with me.
A new way of living.
But the real gift for me has been not the letting go of and travelling with fewer material possessions. The greatest shift has been a renewed desire to be free of all that possesses me, especially fears, wounds, and even expectations and plans.
Living lightly has become something of a motto for me, but I am a beginner. Every day I realise anew that I have so much baggage, too much stuff, and too often feel powerless to discard these attachments.
I acknowledged this in my homily yesterday noting that Mary and Joseph awaiting the birth of their child were travelling lightly in every way.
But we struggle with this and even our expectation of and plans for Christmas and the new year can feel like heavy baggage.
At Christmas it’s often the family dynamic which is complex and even problematic, adult siblings, parents in new relationships, in-laws… you know the picture.
And that’s where Hannah in 1 Samuel 1 gives a great family lesson, especially for parents of their young, and teenage, and adult children.
Hannah had long awaited and prayed for the gift of a child.
And when the child arrived, while continuing to play her part in the youngster’s growth, she made her child over to God.
If Hannah can do this with a gift as precious as her son Samuel, then why would I not give all my joys, hopes, griefs and anxieties to God.
As we pray in the Morning Offering beginning each day: O Jesus, I offer you my prayers, works. joys and sufferings…
Your words make my heart sing this morning Fr John. I was also called to declutter my life from ‘ things and attachments’ and have never looked back. Less is definitely more. The letting go of things has freed up every aspect of my life and I have never felt freer. The most rewarding for me is the soaring spiritual growth that has resulted for me. Less is more is quite true. I also am ‘a work in progress’ as I seek to detach from earthly things and focus more on that which sustains me spiritually and gifts me much joy. Thankyou.
well said Noreen
Considering living out of a carry on bag for 5 months does indeed seem impossible… well done on achieving that! This reflection of ‘living lightly’ definitely resonates. I was also inspired onto this road when I read ‘A prayer in ‘the middle years’ of opportunity’ in the ‘Celtic Daily Prayer’ book: ‘Lord, help me to unclutter my life, to organise myself in the direction of simplicity…’ * A new way of living and an ongoing journey. *I will email you a copy of the prayer.
I came to the conclusion just recently, when you reach a certain age bracket, you don’t have to be relevant anymore. We strive as we should, through our lives, for all sorts of achievements which I think is human nature, we strive for our lives to be relevant even spiritually we strive to gain eternal reward. We are taught to do so least we miss out. But we come to a place, where achieving for ourselves or being relevant is no longer necessary or expected this frees us just to be, such freedom is a blessing.
So enjoyed this reflection Fr John. I am 80, 60 years married and have been enjoying decluttering our life and how freeing it is. I love the Morning Offering and well remember being taught this by my mother. I pull the blind in the early morning, look out over wetland and give my morning offering. This prayer has started my day for so many years and is my favourite.
I to have downsized and decluttered with the help of my children. I now have flatmates and am thoughrally enjoying my new way of living. It’s a big hurdle but not so much that it can’t be done. A great deal of life seems to be aquiring and then when you find yourself on your own you have so much that needs time to look after. Earthly goods weigh you down, my soul has more time for contemplation and prayer. Thank you for your wise words, they spoke to my heart. Kathleen
I remember realising almost 50 years ago, when we were packing our belongings prior to emigration, that my possessions owned me, and not the other way around. I understand now how deeply this has affected me because now, as I approach 90, I find myself needing to decluter, and that is what I have been doing. I have been having so much fun giving to my daughters and friends items that have real meaning to me; while other things have been passed on in various directions.