I once lived with a priest who was very intentional about his clothing. For example, when he purchased a new shirt or a new pair of trousers, he would always remove an older shirt or pair of slacks from his collection and place it in the St. Vincent de Paul box. He did this not only because of space limitations, as he had only one room with a closet and bath. No, I believe he did this because of his commitment to simplicity of life.

I found myself thinking about this as we begin a new liturgical year, don a different color vestment and hear once again the call of the prophet Isaiah, “A voice proclaims: / In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD! / Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God” (Is 40:3). John the Baptist echoes this message: “Prepare the way of the Lord, / make straight his paths” (Mk 1:3). As priests, we share in this chorus by our words and deeds.

The holy season of Advent is an intentional time for us to make room in our lives for the coming of Jesus. We cannot do this work without making a concerted effort to simplify our lives and remove all those things that clutter and even block the path of Jesus to our hearts.

This painstaking work of continually divesting ourselves from the nonessentials of life is challenging for three reasons. First, as we move from place to place, we can accumulate so much in the way of books and knickknacks, not to mention all those shirts, jackets and caps emblazoned with the parish or school emblem. Since I became bishop, I could probably open my own store and sell these articles. Thankfully, there is always the archives.

Second, simplifying our lives is difficult because there is something in our human nature that resists letting go. Some of what we accumulate has sentimental value. Moreover, some of us may take this resistance to the extreme and hoard. We can become paralyzed by what we have.

Third, simplifying our lives is made all the more challenging given the fact that this current time has a tendency to engender more stuff in our lives in the way of gifts and purchases. “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Unfortunately, this focus can become blinded by the sweeping commercialism of the shopping season.

What can we as priests do to weather these worldly challenges and renew our commitment to a simplicity of life? The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests offers an answer in one word — namely, temperance. The document states: “As in the other forms of temperance such as food, drink, and social media, the priest’s simplicity of life is a visible witness to gospel values, especially in the highly consumeristic and materialistic culture of the United States today. We do not deny the goodness of Creation and of material goods in themselves, but a simple lifestyle preaches more with actions than words. A diocesan priest has a unique opportunity to give this witness. He is challenged to live in the world, shoulder to shoulder with his parishioners, without caving in to the wider culture’s relentless pressure to indulge the appetite for more or better possessions” (No. 131).

With every new liturgical year, there lies the promise of renewal made possible through the power of resolution. What resolutions are we prepared to make this Advent season to deepen the human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral pillars of our vocation? What resolutions will enable us to intentionally prepare the way of the Lord and make room in our hearts and lives for him?

Perhaps we might want to consider three resolutions. First, we might want to become more vocal in our prayer seeking the grace of temperance especially when it comes to living the simplicity of life. Second, we might want to aspire to become more mindful of our lifestyle as priests in terms of what we eat, drink, wear, have and do. Finally, we might want to intentionally aim to declutter our lives by divesting ourselves of any excess or nonessentials to truly live a simplicity of life.

Looking back, I am so grateful to that priest with whom I lived, who witnessed to me the simplicity of life. 

BISHOP DAVID J. BONNAR, editor of The Priest, is bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown.