Walk through almost any bookstore today, and you'll find shelves full of books encouraging a simpler life. They tell us to own less, to declutter, to organize. One in particular says to get rid of everything that does not "spark joy".
There's great wisdom in these ideas. Most of us probably own more than we need and fill our calendars more than we should. And many of us could use some serious declutter sessions.
But is minimalism actually a virtue?
Not exactly. The Church has always encouraged simplicity, but Christian simplicity is much deeper than simply owning fewer things.
St. Benedict understood this more than 1,500 years ago.
His Rule doesn't call monks to become minimalists. Instead, it teaches moderation and rightly ordered priorities. Monks are to possess what they need to live their vocation faithfully...not more and not less. The goal is an undivided heart.
And an undivided heart should be a goal for all of us, not just monks.
Since becoming an Oblate of St. Benedict a few years ago, I've been reading and studying The Rule. As I do, I find myself returning to one simple question: What is keeping me from loving God more completely?
In fact, the Rule of St. Benedict reminds us that "nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God." Everything else—our schedules, possessions, ambitions, even good things—finds its proper place when God comes first. For me, learning to live with that kind of undivided heart will likely be a lifelong pursuit. But I'm grateful that St. Benedict has taught me to ask the question more often. And perhaps that's where true simplicity begins.
A person can indeed own very little and still have an anxious, cluttered heart. Another can have many possessions rightly ordered to the service of God and others, and still possess remarkable interior freedom. The virtue of simplicity isn't about having less.
It's about wanting God more.
When we begin there, the rest often follows. We become less attached to things, less distracted by unnecessary commitments, and more attentive to the people and responsibilities God has given us.
Perhaps that's why simplicity has always been a Christian virtue long before it became a lifestyle trend.
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