Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20
“Effective detachment from things demands sacrifice. Any detachment which is not hard is not real. Christian life is such that it calls that it calls for a radical change in attitude towards earthly goods. We must acquire them and use them not as the end in themselves, but as a means of serving God, the family, and society. The objective of a Christian is not to accumulate more and more but to love Christ more and more through our work, our family, and our material goods.”
Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 133.
I got an email that advertised a “Black Friday” sale early. It’s really early considering that bargain shopping day is not until 29 November 2024.
“More and more” in the world’s way of thinking links to accumulation. But what if, we focused on loving Christ “more and more” instead and loving Christ through our work, family, and material goods.
This calls for detachment. We learn to detach watching Jesus. The home in the world for a fox or a bird is a den or a nest. Jesus had neither. This implies that He did not focus on earth as home.
He deployed himself (work), His relationships with others eager to do the will of God (family), and any resources that came to Him (material goods) on mission with others.
As we focus on people in the last two months of this year, let’s consider the detached example of Jesus and think about our priorities. We will have many opportunities to buy things (more and more).
We will also have many chances to love Christ (more and more) through our work, family, and material goods. Only as we follow Jesus do we discover that detachment from things helps us attach to Him.
And it positions us to live, give, serve, and love generously.