Simplicity
Christmas is chaos! Although the heart of Christmas is the peaceful arrival of Divine embrace, the greed-oriented scramble usually becomes the “white noise” through which the sounds of peace cannot be heard. Added to that cacophonous clutter is the relenting pressure to visit with everyone who might be offended if we didn’t show our presence or our gifts. And the baking. And the wrapping. And the decorating. And the un-decorating. And the religious rituals. And the demand that we be jolly and happy through it all. And then this year there is the terribly difficult reality of how to do all of this while attending to the great Covid threat. By the end of the holidays so many folks need a vacation from their vacation. What has all of that got to do with peace or love or Divine presence? Very little!
I will give a little by admitting that the remembering of others through a gift, or the sharing of food with someone as commitment to community, or the symbols that point to the miracle of God-presence are all possible paths into the work of the Great Spirit. But those still small voices are exceptionally hard to hear in the midst of the loud harangue of a consumerist society that is more influenced by marketing and social pressure than by the authentic voice that arises from the soul beckoning attention to peace, hope, unfulfilled longings, fulfilled longings, gratitude, and relationship.
The early Celtic Christians held simplicity as a consistent way of being so that those soul-whispers could be heard and love could be freely given and received. They resisted the clutter of “things”, whatever those things might be. Whether wealthy or poor, they dedicated themselves to simple life that was untethered to material so that matters of the Spirit could take priority.
One lovely teacher of such a way was Ita, who we call Saint Ita in the Celtic tradition. She was born in Ireland in 480 C.E. She was the teacher of many influential Celtic Christians such as Saint Brendan the Navigator. It is said that young Brendon asked her what things God loves more than all and her response was pursuit of whole-hearted faith, simplicity of life, and generous love. These three brilliant beacons guide the soul home.
Anything that degrades the possibility of love is an impediment worth relinquishing. Simplicity is not about poverty, or righteousness, or merit. It is about attunement to Spirit. It is being available for love. It is about peace because it is freeing and doesn’t leave us poised to guard our “things” (material and internal) and therefore we are not drawn to war with others who are going to take our “things”.
Perhaps in your own way, you can calm the resounding noise of things and the pressures of the holidays in order to clear a space for listening. Way down at the bottom of the listening you may find that the purity of love has already arrived.
Simplicity is the practice that allows for the quiet Divine whisper of love, inclusion, and embrace to grow in volume until you are caught in that truth and guided by the eternal light.
Kirk Webb
(Director and Founder of the Celtic Center)