Living More Simply While Helping Others Live

Dear Friends,

One day last week, I met the adult children of an elderly couple who were moving into an assisted living facility. “It took 10 days to empty their house,” one of them said. “I plan to begin divesting this winter!”

The accumulation of stuff creeps up on us. Some of it we really need to keep: seasonal furniture, sports equipment, clothing and decorations. We’ll use them all next year.

But we also put into basements, attics and self-storage units, things we may never use again, and if the truth be known, maybe we never did use. Some things we bought on a whim, other things relatives and friends gave us, and we couldn’t say no or didn’t want to say no. Some things are mementos of another time, another family.

Buying, storing, and keeping are ordinary human activities. There is nothing wrong with doing these things unless the buying, storing and keeping overtake our minds and hearts, and become excessively important to us or we accumulate without the realization that we could become tethered to stuff.

Pope Francis reminds his readers that, “The human person cannot do without material goods…These goods are absolutely indispensable to feed himself, grow, communicate, associate with others and achieve the highest purpose to which he is called.” Jesus never denied people what they needed to become all they could be in life, but He had no use for acquiring more and more without weighing the cost of the acquisition. Nothing that we have can earn God’s love for us. What makes a difference is who we are and what we do with what we have.

Here are some thoughts about dealing with the things we have in our lives in order to live more simply.

First, if you get a new shirt, slacks, coat, whatever, give away one that you have had for a while. Get a new one, give an older one away. Did you know that the average American discards about 70 pounds of clothing annually?

Secondly, share with those who could really use no-longer-needed, clean household items and clothing. New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced that 200 Afghan refugees will be coming to the Rochester area in a few months. Take what you wish to contribute to their households to Saint’s Place or Mary’s Place* in Rochester, where newcomers can get what they need to start out anew.

Develop or use a lending center for tools as a way of reducing unnecessary multiplication. Make it a place for sharing learning as well as tools.

Have you seen those neighborhood curbside lending libraries? Take a book. Don’t bring it back. Leave another. Build a tiny library near the road near your house.

As you look to downsize, be as generous as you can be so that others may live. Give, but don’t buy more or more often. Think with Jesus about where the real treasures of your life are.

~Sister Joan Sobala

 *Saint’s Place, 46 S Main Street, Pittsford, NY 14534     585.385.6860

  Mary’s Place, 414 Lexington Avenue, Rochester, NY 14613     585.270.8626