Desire: An Advent-Related Tension

Spiritual desire. How and why faith exists. In his book Consuming Religion, Vincent J. Miller describes it beautifully: “The spiritual life is marked by a progressive increase in desire as the soul presses closer to the ever-unreachable object of its desire” (Miller 129).

Consumer desire. This is a reality our society is all too familiar with, particularly during the Christmas season. As a society, we want and want and want, and every time we attain something, we are already five steps ahead with our eyes on the “next best thing.” Consumer desire comes dangerously close to spiritual desire, as we studied in my theology course this semester. The two can be visualized as two parallel train tracks, and with subtle changes in our mindset and behavior, we find ourselves slipping from one side to the other (Miller).

My brothers and me with our Christmas Eve gifts last year

How can we even attempt to balance consumer desire and spiritual desire, if the difference between them remains subtle and blurred?

By putting a greater value on the chase. By acknowledging the beauty of the fact that God designed humans to desire for a reason, and that this gift, like so many others, may be used either the way He intended it to be or not. We can use desire to develop our characters as holy, spiritual beings or to suck ourselves into the earthliness and sin of consumer desire. This is not to say that all consumer desire is inherently evil, but it becomes challenging and risky in our consumer society when we allow it to nudge us along the path of idolatry and a cycle of greed and despair. But desire is also beautiful, because it prompts us to pursue an active relationship with our Creator, who gave us the gift of desire.

Spiritual desire enhances our relationship with God. I believe there is also a sort of spiritual/social desire that drives our enhancing of relationships with others. ­­­This Advent season, may we take time out of the craziness that often characterizes Christmas preparation in order to appreciate the value of spiritual gifts. Perhaps consider asking for or giving one of the following for Christmas this year, or coming up with your own to add to this list:

1. Spend quality time without technology. Pull out board games, cards, old photo albums, etc., or just share some family memories around the kitchen table
2. Give your time at a local charity with family and/or friends. This could be a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, women’s home, etc. Get creative with how you share your time with your community.
3. Watch a Christmas movie (or any other movie) without outside distraction from phones or the looming pressure of a to-do list. Just enjoy.
4. Go on a walk with family members or friends. Explore your neighborhood or a nearby park.
5. Tell a family member or friend (or multiple) specifically why you are thankful for them.
6. Sit quietly in the presence of God. Let Him love you and all that you are.

Happy Advent and a very Merry Christmas to all. Thank you for your support this semester, and I look forward to beginning a new leg of this adventure with you in January!

Religious: They're Just Like Us!

Religious - priests, nuns, and brothers – are numerous on the Notre Dame campus. Having religious on campus is part of what makes Notre Dame such a unique place. However, despite the proximity of these wonderful, intelligent, and faith-filled people, how often do we reach out and get to know them? It is easy to pass by these bright, giving souls without taking the time to get to know them.

November 30, 2014 marked the start of the Year of Consecrated Life, which honors men and women who have been called to vocations as priests, nuns, and brothers. Declared by Pope Francis, this year gives us a chance to know and appreciate the works that religious do, as well as the people that they are. From teaching as Notre Dame professors to serving Holy Cross missions overseas, the religious here make substantial contributions to both our campus and the worldwide community. They are truly some of the most phenomenal people we will be exposed to during our time at Notre Dame…

The religious on our campus are “Just Like Us!” They do their own laundry. They reach for the top shelf. They even photobomb on South Quad – hop on over to Megan's blog, Come! Live in the Light!, to view another spread of the religious on our campus being the normal, approachable people that they are.

The Year of Consecrated Life ends on February 2, 2016. As a community, let’s accept Pope Francis’ call to honor these men and women on our campus in particular by making a conscious effort to get to know some of the religious here. We see them riding their bikes across campus. We have them as professors for our classes. We might glimpse them at places such as the dining hall, or they might be the rector or rectress of our dorm.

Next time you see a priest, nun, or brother on campus, consider engaging them in conversation. They are normal people with normal lives who happen to have been called to dedicate their lives to the Church. Ask them to coffee. Be curious about their vocation. Find out their birthday and their favorite flavor of ice cream. Megan and I want to pose a challenge to each member of the Notre Dame community to foster a meaningful relationship with at least one priest, nun, or brother before the Year of Consecrated life ends. As we can see above, They’re Just Like Us!