In Sunday’s gospel, Jesus said, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Then St. Luke shares with us the parable of a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, “What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?” Then he said, “I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones….and I shall say to myself, ‘Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!’” Then God said to him, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” Jesus then says, “Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.” (Luke 12:16-21)
While there are practical reasons to rent storage units, I might suggest that they are the new “barns” where we store up for ourselves as the man in the gospel. We, too, must also heed the words of our Lord when he says, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Consider all the “stuff” that you possess, that you have accumulated over the years. If one’s life does not consist of possessions, why then do so many people hang on to so much stuff? For some it might just be a kind of slothfulness in getting around to cleaning out that closet or that room in the basement. It may be easier just to move it to a self-storage unit and go through it all later…if ever.
But for the man in the gospel parable, he thought what he stored up for himself would bring him security. He said to himself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest eat, drink and be merry!” Having things in our possession – even keeping things we no longer use or need – is for many people a kind of security. Without being “rich in what matters to God,” as the gospel concludes, we find ourselves searching for security in the things of this world. The result is consumerism…the endless quest to have more, amass more, keep more and find consolation in more stuff. Consumerism is finding security in the things of this world, “the greed that is idolatry,” as St. Paul says in the second reading (Colossians 3:5).
So, what if we started to enact the idea that “Less is More?” Less stuff is more freedom, more peace, more time, more resources, more availability, more generosity. Frankly, the more ‘toys’ the culture says will make us look successful means the more time and energy and resources we have to put into using them. If we buy the boat, jet skis, camper, motorcycle, vintage cars, hot tub, and everything else that goes into our expensive hobbies, our time and money is consumed in using them and maintaining them. Yes, these may be wholesome kinds of recreation, but we exhaust ourselves to have, use and maintain all this stuff. Less stuff is more peace of mind. Less stuff is a simpler life. Less stuff provides more time and availability for the service of others.
Jesus said, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” The virtue that counters greed is generosity. One of the most life-giving and freedom-inducing practices in life is gift-giving. It can be a marvelous check on our wanting to have more stuff. From the time we were toddlers, most of us have been taught to share with others. Why? Because early on we learn the word “mine!” I’m no behavioral psychologist, but instinctively we always think about ourselves…wanting, claiming, having and keeping instead of sharing.
Have you ever prayed for the grace to be generous? It is an important step in overcoming the capital sin of greed. Yet praying, “Lord, help me to be generous” is a prayer of great risk. What would my life look like if the Lord gave me a generous heart? Instead of trusting that he would bless us, we fear that it would mean a loss in possessions, in status, in opportunities, in relationships and in the “quality of our lives.” To counter this fear, we go after more, nicer, newer, bigger, more trendy stuff. Fundamentally, living by the philosophy that “less is more” is to surrender control, risk insecurity, put my needs aside in order to be generous to others and most of us find that scary. Generosity is more than an act of kindness; it is an act of faith in God’s providence.
So, what are you storing up for yourself these days? What do you possess that you could actually live without? Even if you don’t rent a self-storage unit, what are you still holding on to, and why? LESS stuff permits us to have MORE trust in God and find our security in Him. As an act of faith, do you believe that the Lord will take care of you better than you can take care of yourself? Are you willing to let him? Do you want to be free from the things that seem to possess you? Letting go of some of these things can be a kind of practice for the day when we will surrender our very lives to the Lord in death. In that moment, we can’t take any of our stuff with us. (Echoing the gospel, “to whom will all our self-storage units go?”)
To grow in this freedom from the slavery to having more, let us practice generosity – with the stewardship of our resources for the good of others. And in any given moment when you are feeling particularly greedy – at once give someone else something you have – even if it is nothing more than a paperclip! If you counter fear with faith and give away your resources regularly and intentionally, you will see how generous the Lord is in caring for you and experience great freedom from stuff! Less will be more happiness, contentment and peace!
