“Poverty for us is freedom.” (Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta).
One of my sisters and her family recently bought a second dog. He is a cute little puppy that will one day grow up into a beautiful big dog. And I have been reflecting on that dog that my sister has bought into her life…
You see that little puppy has a lot of needs and my sister is responsible for ensuring that his needs are met. He requires vaccinations to stay healthy. He needs someone to watch his food so he can grow. He needs someone to clean up his mess. When he runs onto the road, he needs someone to chase after him. This dog needs regular visits to the veterinarian, and he needs a lot of work! Importantly, because he is going to grow into a very large dog, this new dog of my sister’s requires a lot of training… And what all of this basically means, is that my sister is reduced to serving this dog that she has bought… And while there is really nothing wrong with that – we all have creatures and people and responsibilities that we serve – today, I have been reflecting on how this impacts the ways that I serve God.
You see, when we serve a dog, we are effectively making that dog our master. His decisions will cause us to change what we do and how we do it. And that is an important realisation to make. You see, the point of this world – the WHOLE ENTIRE POINT – is that we should serve God through our lives. And when we turn and serve other things IN THE PLACE OF GOD – things like money and work and family and friends and socialising and pets and holidays – we make ourselves LESS than those thing that we are serving…
About a month ago, Queen Elizabeth II died. She was a woman who worked in her duty to serve her country for most of her earthly life. And yet, she was also a Queen. And this meant that she wore jewels and designer clothes and shoes every day of her life. Her hair was washed and blow-dried for her each day. Her accessories were selected by stylists. Her jewels were the richest and most beautiful in the world. Her collection of dogs and horses and properties amazed people – she literally lived in palaces. When she died, Queen Elizabeth was one of the riches and most famous people to have ever lived on Planet Earth. After her death, her body was laid out in state so that thousands of people could see her and pay their respects. And there is nothing wrong with this.
In fact, it is a good thing – because the woman really did make many sacrifices in the line of duty. And yet, in death Queen Elizabeth II is no Queen. In death, she stands before the Eternal Judge as an equal with all the other unknown souls who died on that day. In death, Queen Elizabeth II is the equal of every other soul.
And that makes me think of the words of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta who said, “Poverty for us is freedom.” And she said that living in India without air-conditioning or fans or any sort of luxury because she had nothing to preoccupy her – no distractions. She was too busy with God to worry about other things… And in this way, she was as Saint Joseph would want us to be... For Father Donald Calloway wrote in the “Consecration to Saint Joseph” at page 21, “Saint Joseph wants you to be docile to the direction of the Holy Spirit so that you can be led in the ways of holiness. What is holiness, anyway? Is it some unattainable spiritual summit you can never hope to reach? No, it is not. Holiness is living in intimate, loving communion with God.”
And I have been thinking about that today, as I run around after the dog…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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