{"id":5791,"date":"2023-01-02T17:32:02","date_gmt":"2023-01-02T23:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sarahdamm.com\/?p=5791"},"modified":"2023-03-15T17:56:22","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T22:56:22","slug":"living-simply-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sarahdamm.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/02\/living-simply-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Simply in the New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

The decorations are still up. And the carols are still playing in the background.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s still Christmas, after all.<\/p>\n

But the explosion of wrapping paper and empty boxes has been cleared away, and only a few Christmas cookies remain in the freezer, almost forgotten.<\/p>\n

As I continue to liturgically celebrate the Christmas season, I breathe deep relief. The frenzy of the past month has slowed way down. My to-do list has returned to a normal length. And as I look upon the first month of a new calendar year, I see open and empty spaces, inviting me to keep them just as they are.<\/p>\n

Welcome, Simplicity<\/strong><\/h2>\n

January is the month when I crave simplicity. After a marathon of holiday celebrations and family gatherings, and after a season of abundant blessings, I desire quiet, stillness, space, and less.<\/p>\n

Of course I love celebrating the birth of Christ, but after the whirlwind, I reach a point where I long to live the simplicity of the stable instead of the abundance that comes with the modern-day Christmas celebration.<\/p>\n

I ponder the simplicity of the Holy Family\u2019s home in Nazareth, where \u201cJesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor\u201d (Luke 2:52). And I wonder what they have to teach me about holy simplicity and how I can observe it in my own life.<\/p>\n

What is Holy Simplicity?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While we may not know many details about the hidden life of Christ\u2019s family, we know with certainty that they lived simplicity perfectly.<\/p>\n

As a virtue, simplicity calls us out of ourselves and our attachments. As Father Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalene notes, it prompts us to move \u201cin one direction only: to God, to live for Him, to please Him, and to give glory to Him\u201d (Divine Intimacy<\/em><\/a>, 853).<\/p>\n

Yes, if anyone can show us how to live life simply, it is the Holy Family.<\/p>\n

Jesus<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jesus refers to holy simplicity in His preaching and teaching.<\/p>\n

In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, He instructs, \u201cYou cannot serve God and wealth.\u201d (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13).<\/p>\n

In another part of Matthew\u2019s Gospel, Jesus proclaims, \u201cYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind\u201d (Matthew 22:37).<\/p>\n

Mary<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mary\u2019s words at the Annunciation prove her incomparable simplicity.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word\u201d (Luke 1:38).<\/p>\n

Joseph<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Joseph\u2019s obedience attests to his holy simplicity too.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him \u2026\u201d\u00a0 (Matthew 1:24).<\/p>\n

With the Holy Family as our guides, now seems like the perfect time to return to a more single-minded devotion into which simplicity invites us. After a season of joy and celebration, mixed with busyness and running on too much coffee and sugar, the call to simplicity echoes in the depth of the soul. It is as if the Holy Family is inviting us into their home: \u201cCome, let us show you how.\u201d<\/p>\n

More Than Minimalism<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As a virtue, simplicity is more than minimalism. It is more than being organized and clutter-free. To have less for the sake of having less isn\u2019t quite virtuous.<\/p>\n

Simplicity is deeper than that; it is holier than that.<\/p>\n

Our reason behind it must be more meaningful.<\/p>\n

In her book\u00a0The Little Way of Living With Less: Learning to Let Go with the Little Flower<\/em><\/a>, Laraine Bennett suggests that \u201cwithout the motivation of truly inspiring goals\u2014to strengthen the bonds of love, to serve others better, to follow Christ more perfectly, to love God with our whole mind, heart, soul and strength\u2014it is likely that we will soon find ourselves frustrated with any decluttering, organizing, or minimizing project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Therefore, our desire to grow in greater simplicity is rooted in a longing to have a simplicity of heart that mirrors Christ\u2019s. We yearn for the simplicity of the Holy Family. We crave stillness and attentiveness in our souls.<\/p>\n

Practical Steps Toward Holy Simplicity<\/strong><\/h2>\n

And yet, because we are human, we learn with our senses and understand the intangible through the tangible. Practical applications help our holy pursuit of virtue.<\/p>\n

But practical steps are not our goals. Rather, they are a means to a more virtuous end. They are the path toward unity with God in Heaven.<\/p>\n

Below are a handful of ways we can practice simplicity with the goal of living Christ\u2019s invocation to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind.<\/p>\n

Simple meals<\/strong><\/h3>\n