A LENTEN REFLECTION ~ 15

The late Jesuit philosopher John Kavanaugh was an acclaimed teacher of ethics and a renowned preacher. The author of many books, his most celebrated work was Following Christ in a Consumer Society. In February 2007, AMERICA magazine, for which he was a regular columnist, published his essay “A Personalist Lent.”1 In the article, Kavanaugh asserts that contemporary American culture, with its three fixations on capitalism, consumerism, and individualism, is “a culture with a powerful undertow toward depersonalization.” Not only does it erode our personal life, it also has a propensity for denying personal dignity and demeaning personal integrity. It does this by reducing the human person to “what we own or earn, what we produce, how we look, how we perform.” With its skewed understanding of what is most important in life and its seeming rejection of the intrinsic value of the human person, the door is left open to daily injustices.

In light of this, Kavanaugh states that Lent offers followers of Christ “a subversive opportunity” to resist and counter the ethos and modus operandi of the dominant culture. He writes:

Lent, in this context, takes on a whole new meaning . . . The discipline associated with the Lenten season becomes not so much a search for practices of asceticism, self-control or, at its most extreme, even punishment as it is a disengagement from the patterns of depersonalization. (emphasis mine)

Stated positively, Lent becomes an opportunity to deepen our understanding of what it means to be a disciple (from the Latin discere — to learn) intimately related to a personal God made flesh in the person of Jesus. Below are some practices he recommends to consciously and intentionally participate in an alternative vision and personalist actions more representative of the gospel of life and the way of Jesus. The disciplines of personalism Kavanaugh offers for Lent are as follows (and I quote):

1) Interiority. Even 10 minutes of solitude a day on the porch, at the window or in a chapel can get us in touch with ourselves. Who or what am I when I am not producing, pretending, planning or filling myself with noise? Might we discover that the unique gift we can bestow on the world is our capacity to give and receive love, hope and faith? In each of these virtues we are made vulnerable yet empowered as persons.

2) Intimacy. Take a weekly one-hour walk with someone you care about. I once recommended this as a penance in the sacrament of reconciliation. The penitent told me that his wife might think he was having a nervous breakdown. Alas, so far have we come from the wonderfully ordinary and free. But as my penitent found out, we too may realize that our fostering of community in friendship or family, our allowing ourselves to be known more deeply is the only way to feel more deeply loved.

3) Solidarity. Take a public stand on an issue of justice. Write, speak or march. But realize that your issue makes sense only if your stand is against all forces that treat human beings as expendable things.

4) Simplicity. Travel more lightly. Not because things are bad, but because all things are for persons and the glory of God. You might try by giving away some things you have not touched in two years. The point in simplicity is to make more time for solitude, friends and service.

5) The Marginal. Face down fears and walk humbly into the life-world of the handicapped, the terminally ill, those in nursing homes, people in jails or hospitals. We will find out that we are all handicapped, terminal and in some ways captive. Some of us can pretend better than others. Those who cannot pretend teach us that even in our most humble states, we can evoke love. They will help us pray. They will help us see each other. What is more, when the culture clamors for it, we will be less likely to kill them.

Not only do these practices make us aware of the depersonalizing vision and values of a consumerist culture, but also remember us to a way of being that is more aligned with the spirit and path of Jesus.

1 There have been different expressions of personalism throughout history. The Catholic Worker movement, co-founded by Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day and still alive and well today, is a personalist movement. Maurin was influenced by French philosopher, author, and leading proponent of personalism in France Emmanuel Mournier (1905-1950). In “the Aims and Means of the Catholic Worker” it clearly states CW’s advocate (a theologically based and Christian expression of) personalism which is described as follows:

~ Personalism, a philosophy which regards the freedom and dignity of each person as the basis, focus and goal of all metaphysics and morals. In following such wisdom, we move away from a self-centered individualism toward the good of the other. This is to be done by taking personal responsibility for changing conditions, rather than looking to the state or other institutions to provide impersonal “charity.” We pray for a Church renewed by this philosophy and for a time when all those who feel excluded from participation are welcomed with love, drawn by the gentle personalism Peter Maurin taught.

ARTWORK: Compassion by Clive Manuel