“A poor widow…put in two small coins worth a few cents.”
The poor widow in today’s Gospel gave all she had for God. She loved Him above everything and everyone. She was not attached to those two coins, but was attached to showing God her faith. By giving alms like the poor widow, we become detached from the things of this world. “True detachment leads us to be very generous with God and with our fellow men. It makes us actively resourceful and ready to spend ourselves in helping the needy. A Christian cannot be content with a job that only allows him to earn enough for himself and his family. He will be big-hearted enough to give others a helping hand both out of charity and as a matter of justice.” [1] “When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice. [2]
For all of us, we can take a hard look into our souls and see who and/or what we are placing before God in our lives. As Christians, we do not hate worldly things, but we are called to rightly order our affections. We believe that both affections and worldly things can be “good” but that there is a greater “good”. God is the greater good. All affections or worldly things should direct us therefore to the greatest good. All Christ’s faithful are to ‘direct their affections rightly, lest they be hindered in their pursuit of perfect charity by the use of worldly things and by an adherence to riches which is contrary to the spirit of evangelical poverty.’” [3]
Some affections and worldly things may be inherently sinful, so we should completely avoid these. Other affections and worldly things may be good, but can cause us spiritual harm if we are attached to them. Assuming that the object I possess is not inherently sinful, I can still be unduly attached to it, as may be recognized by certain signs. Some of these are external, and others can only be experience internally. The poor widow gives us an example of detachment and is praised be Jesus. She is an example of the poor in spirit for who Jesus says, “…for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” [4] “The precept of detachment from riches is obligatory for entrance into the Kingdom of heaven.” [5]
What is the order of our values? We should live with a set of values, and those values have a set order. “The standard hierarchy of values – supernatural, spiritual, intellectual, and material – may be applied here.” [6]
ACTIVITY - Make a list of 20 important things in your life
Beside those items write SN (supernatural), SP (spiritual), INT (intellectual), or MAT (material). Then ask the group: How many items were in each category? As Christians, we have been given the natural virtues (justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude) but also supernatural, or theological, virtues (faith, hope, and charity). The supernatural includes the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Items of spiritual importance would include the many graces that Christ and His Church offer to us through the Liturgy, Sacraments, sacramentals, popular devotions, prayer, etc. The intellect includes our natural ability to reason. Material items include our possessions and natural abilities or talents.
Why is it important to have correctly ordered values? It is good for us to have a hierarchy so that we can better set our priorities: “for example, I am more concerned with an intellectual project than with my spiritual obligations to the evident detriment of the latter, I ought to suspect undue affection for the former.” [7] In the story of Mary and Martha, Martha is busy with intellectual and material goods. Jesus does not say that these are bad things, for they are not. He does, however, say that Mary, who is concerned with the supernatural and spiritual, “has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her”. [8] When we have our priorities correct and place the supernatural and spiritual ahead of the intellectual and material, we choose the better part and they will not be taken from us.
ACTIVITY – Lemons & Rice
Before your group meeting starts, get two mason jars or containers. Put one or two lemons in each jar first and then add enough rice to fill the jar or container to the top. Empty the rice and lemons from the jar and set them aside. When at the meeting, ask two volunteers to come to the front of the group. Each volunteer will have one jar, lemons, and rice in front of them. You can have a timed contest to see which person can fit all lemons and rice into the jar first. The volunteers will not be able to fit everything in unless they put the lemons in first. If they put the rice in first, they will have to cram the lemons in, but they will not fit. They will have to empty everything and start over. If both volunteers go in the correct order, afterwards, ask them to do the incorrect order and see what happens. When we put the material and intellectual first (rice), there is no room for the more important supernatural and spiritual (lemons) in our lives.
We must examine ourselves carefully to find the source of our attachments, how attached we are to those things, and what we’re going to do about it. “No matter how attractive the prospect may be, I will not seriously undertake the road to sanctity until I have come to grips with myself on the two profoundest levels of my being; knowledge of where I presently stand with respect to creatures that stand between me and my God, and knowledge of how far I am willing to go in giving myself to God.” [9]
As you go through this self-examination, consider these things:
“If I often lose peace of mind from definable or undefinable causes, on account of what I have or do, I am too attached to the object, person, or practice, since ordinate affection, being orderly, produces tranquility of mind, which is the essence of peace.
If I am always afraid of losing or being hindered in the use of some gift or possession, or if I feel dissatisfied with what I have, whether its amount, quality, or perfection, I am too enamored of the object because the right kind of affection precludes such anxiety.
If I regularly talk about my achievement along certain lines or advertise what I have for no better reason than the pleasure I get from being recognized, this is a sign of disorder in the appetitive faculties.
If I am inclined to envy others for some kind of talent, production, or property that I feel outshines or obscures my own, this is a danger signal pointing to the need for greater self-control.
If I tend to be jealous of what I have, slow to share it with others, or fearful that others may acquire the same, I am overly in love with the creature, no matter how lawfully acquired or how holy the thing may be in itself.” [10]
It is good to ask ourselves these questions often. Consider also saying the following two prayers each day. The Totus Tuus prayer, one of Blessed John Paul II’s favorites, is a short consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which we pray: “I belong to you entirely, all that I possess is yours, I take you into everything that is mine, give me your heart Mary.” Are we willing to give “all” that we possess to Mary, who as our Mother and Mother of the Church will present them to Jesus? In the Morning Offering, we pray, “O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, for the intention of all our associates, the intentions of our Bishops, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month. Amen.” Are we offering Jesus all of our work, prayer, joys, and sufferings? Many times we think of possessions as only material goods, but we can also offer our joys and sufferings along with our work and prayer.
Why is detachment from people, things, etc., good? When we detach ourselves from loving or putting other people and other things above God we begin to have interior freedom and are less inclined towards our natural, sinful natural (concupiscence). Instead of desiring things that are not pleasing to God, we hunger and thirst for righteousness. We will seek whatever pleases God and avoid whatever brings about sin. If we were to go on a diet and rid ourselves of unhealthy or unnecessary food, at first our bodies crave bad food. However, over time we begin to enjoy and even hunger for good food—that which is most necessary to our livelihood. The same is true of the spiritual life. If we rid ourselves of unhealthy or unnecessary attachment to objects or people, we begin to long for that which is most necessary—for Jesus Christ, the “one thing necessary”. A person’s soul can move to holiness and perfection if we attach all of our faith, hope, and love to God first before anything and anyone else. “A man’s soul is so much the more perfectly drawn to God as it is more detached from affection for temporal things.” This is the end product of Christian spirituality, since “all the counsels by which we are invited to perfection have this end in view: that being detached from the love of earthly goods, our souls may tend more freely to God.” [11]
What are we most attached to in our lives? If God were to ask us to give that thing or relationship with that person up, would we?
Should we be ashamed of our talents and accomplishments? No, absolutely not. We can be proud of our accomplishments, but we should give all praise and glory to God who gave us the abilities that we have. We should pray that we can live without these things, because there may come a day when we may lose everything. If that happened, would we still have our trust and faith in the Lord? We should keep the words of Saint Jose Maria Escriva in mind when he said, “Do not fix your heart on anything that passes away. Imitate Christ, who became poor for us, and had nowhere to lay his head. Ask him to give you, in the midst of the world, a real detachment, a detachment that has nothing to soften it.” [12]
Has there even been a time in history that things have been taken away from us? Could it happen again? Throughout the history of the Church, there have been times of great persecution, which has resulted in the loss of freedoms or even material things. Jesus forewarned the apostles that this would happen: “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.” [13] Jesus promises persecutions. He even says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” [14] When the Church has been persecuted, the State or other persecutor has taken away houses, land, family, goods, etc. All of these can be taken away, but people can never take our faith, our hope, and our charity. The poor widow was a person that had nothing, but she still had faith, hope, and charity.
VIDEO – Why the West Won’t Hear about Christian Persecution
This video covers various forms of modern persecution, from violent persecution in Islamic countries to destruction of property and arrests in China and Korea.
How are we supposed to live a life detached from the love of things? “If you want to be your own masters at all times, I advise you to make a very real effort to be detached from everything, and to do so without fear or hesitation. Then, when you go about your various duties, whether personal, family or otherwise, make honest use of upright human means with a view to serving God, his Church, your family, your profession, your country, and the whole of mankind. Remember that what really matters is not whether you have this or lack that, but whether you are living according to the truth taught us by our Christian faith, which tells us that created goods are only a means, nothing more. So, do not be beguiled into imagining that they are in any way definitive.” [15]
Saint Francis of Assisi gives us a great example of detachment. Saint Francis of Assisi was a very wealthy man and attached to many earthly things. When he was a young man he went to war and was captured and imprisoned. While in prison, God spoke to Him saying, “Francis, who would you rather serve the servant or the master?” Francis replied, “The master of course.” God then said, “Why then are you serving the servant?” This dialogue with God changed the life of Francis. He returned to Assisi and began serving the master (God) rather than the servant (world). Are you serving the servant or the master?
[1] J. Escriva, Friends of God, 126
[2] St. Gregory the Great, Regula Pastoralis. 3, 21: PL 77, 87.
[3] CCC 2545
[4] Matthew 5:3
[5] CCC 2544
[6] Hardon, The Catholic Catechism pg. 429
[7] Hardon, The Catholic Catechism pg. 429
[8] Luke 10:42
[9] Hardon, The Catholic Catechism pg. 428
[10] Hardon, The Catholic Catechism pg. 429
[11] St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, I, II, 108, 4.
[12] J. Escriva, The Forge, 523
[13] Mark 10:29-30
[14] Matthew 5:10
[15] J. Escriva, Friends of God, 118