The Spirit of Detachment in Lent
Summary of Headings
The Example of Saint Benedict
When Saint Benedict retired from his occupation as tutor, he went into the mountains in Italy, and decided that he was going to become a hermit, until he could discern what God's calling was for him. So he found a cave, which is now the location of the great monastery of Subiaco. He found a cave, and he hid away in there. And a local hermit heard about him, heard that he was coming. So he went down to visit him, and he asked what his plan of action was going to be. And Saint Benedict explained to him that he was going to remain in perfect silence, and he was going to fast and abstain, and he was going to not even drink any water for forty days, imitating our Lord, because this was the first thing our Lord did before he started his public life, was this fasting. So he was going to do the same thing. In the act of discernment, for forty days, he was going to spend it in prayer, vigil, and fasting, and without drinking any water. And he was just going to be in silence during that time. So the hermit said, Very well, I will return. In forty days, I will bring you food and drink so that you can break your fast. So forty days later, the hermit arrived, and he brought with him bread and water. And he sat down and gave everything to Saint Benedict, who blessed himself, blessed the bread, and then began to slowly eat and drink in a very controlled manner. And the hermit said, Now I know that the Spirit of God is upon you. Because you didn't give in to your appetites, didn't just manage to go forty days and forty nights not drinking or eating anything, but when you finally had the chance to satisfy your hunger and thirst, you did so by giving thanks to God and by eating in a controlled fashion, not giving in to your appetites. Now I know that the Spirit of God is in your actions. As we know, Saint Benedict went on to essentially construct Christendom as we know it. The feudal system was based around monasteries of his. The copying of the classics and of the great literature and theological documents of the first centuries was thanks to his monks. The establishment of the states of Europe were in large part thanks to the monks that he formed. All of this is to say that this is how we need to approach Lent. With one specific virtue in mind, detachment. Detachment from the things of this world. Now that doesn't mean that we never care about anything, we never deal with anything, we don't touch anything. But rather, on the contrary, what we need to make sure we do is detach ourselves from the slavery to those things. We look at the temptations of Christ here. What are the temptations that are offered to him? Well, obviously his appetites, his hunger. But also, the temptation of using his power. The second one was, of course, pride. Putting him on the pinnacle of the temple and offering to throw himself down because that way he could perform a miracle. The angels would catch him up and everyone would see him do it. Then the third one was ambition. The desire for power, the desire for glory, the desire for conquest. All of those kinds of things which are very common as well. And those are the temptations that our Lord Jesus Christ refused. Those are the temptations that, throughout his long life, Saint Benedict had to refuse. Those are the very many things that we all have to combat each and every day. We are not here to serve ourselves. We are not here to fill every desire. We are not supposed to believe, as Epicurus did, of just simply filling every appetite. And finding meaning of our life in those appetites. Those appetites were given to us by God so that in our very nature, we have a driving force to find God again. To understand and comprehend a little bit more of him. The desire and needs that we have within us are there so that we may serve God better and we may know him better. It goes back to the most basic of all questions in the Catechism. Why did God make you? God made me to know, love, and serve him in this world, so that I can be happy with him in the next. That is the sum total of everything we need to know about the spiritual life. That is the only guide we need to have in everything that we do. And every desire, every appetite, every ambition, every good thing and bad thing that we have is there to serve God. By the way, when I say bad thing, I'm not talking about evil. I'm talking about imperfections before anybody thinks of them. I think I'm getting a little heretical. The fact of the matter is, even our weaknesses are supposed to serve God. We are supposed to utilize everything that is given to us so that we can know him, love him, and serve him better. This is why Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, we receive ashes on our forehead. And we say, Remember man that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return. It's a reminder, not just of our mortality, which of course is a poignant reminder. It's not just a reminder of our mortality, but a reminder that we are nothing without God. That we are dead to the things of this world. We are dead to this life so that we may live in the next. It is a reminder that that is our goal. It is to free ourselves of the slavery of God. The slavery of all things of this world so that we can live freely as a slave of God. It has been said that the only true freedom is to become a slave of God, because by doing so we are free of everything else that enslaves us. My will enslaves me. My appetites enslave me. The world wishes to enslave me with its delights. The devil wishes to enslave me with his pride. The world, the flesh, and the devil, will always seek to enslave every aspect of ourselves. Our intellect, our will, our passions, our appetites, and everything. And that is something we have to be aware of, and it is something that during Lent specifically, we have to work to detach ourselves from. How do we start to do that? Well, on a practical level, we have to start recognizing when these appetites are asking for something that we should not give. So just on the biggest level, the biggest thing, if you will, we have to stop giving in to these things when it is in excess, when it is too much, or when it is only serving ourselves. It doesn't mean that we are not supposed to partake of any of the delights of this world or of our lives, but rather that we are supposed to find God in it. There are good things that we can enjoy, but it is not supposed to be something enjoyed for its own sake or its own benefit. This can be human affection and respect. It can be just a simple, nice meal. It can be a hot shower. It can be anything. Anything and everything can serve as a good for us. But if it is not serving God, then it is something we must detach ourselves from. Relationships, people in our lives, activities, functions, whatever. We have to start cutting ourselves away from them if they do not serve God. So that is the first thing. That is the most external thing. Separating ourselves from the things that encourage us or direct us towards sin by the fact that we do not see God or serve God in them. Second thing is we have to start consecrating things to God. It isn't enough that we just start eliminating the things that are against God, that affect us and turn us away from God, but now we also have to convert these things into something that actually is for us. For God. Through Him, with Him, in Him. And for Him. He is the reason we have them to begin with. He is the reason that we actually have in our possession and in our being, we have these things to enjoy good things. To enjoy whatever. He is the reason we have that. But it is given to us so that we can serve Him with those things as tools. It is crucial that we understand this because we will not learn detachment until we appreciate what that means. Every person, every thing in our lives is meant for us to find God and to serve Him. And so, we have to start to understand that. And we have to make the effort of will to start to put limits and to cut ties with things that actively distance us from God, or at the very least encourage ignoring God and turning away from Him to focus on them. And we have to start turning inside and consecrating the things that are either neutral or do not have that negative impact on our lives, and start to make good things come of them. By offering them to God, putting them on the altar and sacrificing them. Not making them our own, but rather passing them off directly to Him. That is what detachment is. We should be dead to the things of this world, living in a true virtue of poverty. Not asking for anything, but also not refusing anything. Accepting everything that comes from God so that we can give it back to God. So that we can serve God with it. If we wanted to address the fact that there is a serious problem in our world, which is not limited to non -Catholics or non -traditionalists, the problem comes with a total lack of sacrifice in our lives. We cannot detach from the things and people of this world because we do not know how to sacrifice ourselves yet. We are not dead to the things of this world because we have not sacrificed them to God. Because they still have power over us. Because they still enslave us. They still control us to some degree. And we need to fight against that. We need to convert ourselves from it. We need to free ourselves from it. But the only freedom from these things is to sacrifice our lives and every aspect of our lives to God. It is the only way. And the only way we are going to learn how to do that is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Which is why it is so crucial for us to appreciate exactly the gift that we have in being able to come here. Yes, I know it is a burden. You have to drive from a long ways away. Yes, I know that it is a long ceremony, especially when the priest talks too long. I know for a fact that that is how it can feel sometimes, humanly speaking. But we must see more than that. The sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ is the guiding principle and the teacher of how it is we are supposed to live our lives. And more importantly, how we are supposed to sacrifice our lives for God. As He sacrificed Himself for us, we must sacrifice ourselves for Him. Being so detached, so disconnected from all of the things that wish to enslave us, that we are perfect slaves of Him. So completely involved. So completely dedicated and consecrated in our sacrifice that there is nothing left for anybody or anything else, least of all ourselves. That is the goal of Lent. That is true detachment. That is what the example of Saint Benedict was with that simple act of simply blessing the food and eating and drinking in a controlled and slow fashion. That is the spirit we must utilize within ourselves. So whatever your resolution, whatever your resolutions of Lent are, make sure it follows that principle. That it is so that you can convert your lives into one great perfect sacrifice of detachment to our Lord Jesus Christ. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. With our Lord Jesus Christ. And in our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the thing that is most necessary for our salvation and for the salvation of our world. We complain a lot about how awful things are. But one saint can change the world. And each and every one of us is called to be a saint. We should never forget that. But saints cannot exist if there is a slavery and an attachment. We must be detached. We must detach ourselves because it is the only way that we can know God, love God, and serve God. And be one with Him in this world. So that we can be eternally happy with Him in the next. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Summary
Saint Benedict's journey into the mountains to become a hermit exemplifies the virtue of detachment. Through fasting, prayer, and silence, he sought to discern God's will, mirroring Christ's own practices. Detachment is a key virtue for Lent, encouraging us to free ourselves from worldly attachments and focus on serving God. This involves recognizing and resisting temptations that distract us from our spiritual goals. By consecrating our actions and possessions to God, we transform them into tools for His service. This Lent, let us strive to detach from what enslaves us and embrace the freedom found in God's service.