Get thee to a nunnery!
OK, so yesterday's front-page story in the SF Chronicle Sunday edition was an article about a woman who joined a convent 15 years ago...and is still there. Except unlike most women who join a convent when they are young, she didn't join until she was 60 years old (after being married and having 10 children and 18 grand-children). Her name is Ann Miller, and apparently she was a high-flying, high-society type person who knew all the right people and went to all the right parties. But she traded it all in on her 60th birthday for a life of extreme ascetism. Sounds very noble, right? I suppose so, but this paragraph made me wonder:
Then she threw herself a going-away bash at the Hilton hotel. "The first two-thirds of my life were devoted to the world," she told 800 friends as they enjoyed music from two orchestras and tucked into caviar, coquille of seafood and fine wines. "The last third will be devoted to my soul." It was Oct. 30, 1989, her 60th birthday.
The cynic in me can't help but wonder about someone who throws a big party to announce to everyone that they intend to spend their retirement years "devoted to their soul". She talks about it as if she were tending to a garden. I was expecting her to say something like "I spent the first two-thirds of my life devoted to myself, the last third will be devoted to God". But instead it sounds far more like the focus is on personal self-improvement.
Now, admittedly, 15 years in a strict convent is a pretty remarkable feat, and I would have thought that 15 years of focusing on God and being away from television, the internet, email and cell-phones etc. would enable anyone to really zero in on God in pretty profound and amazing ways. At least, that's what I hope. But, it still just kind of sounds odd. Like this was all just a pre-arranged thing that she could do to ensure her salvation.
And doesn't God call us to serve him for *all* our life, and not just part of it? I don't think the writer of the article particularly cares for her, or what she did, but I wonder how many people will read the article and marvel at her nobility for "sacrificing" everything for God? I worry that her actions perpetuate the myth that we should keep our spiritual lives and our day-to-day lives completely separate.
Bizarre.
Then she threw herself a going-away bash at the Hilton hotel. "The first two-thirds of my life were devoted to the world," she told 800 friends as they enjoyed music from two orchestras and tucked into caviar, coquille of seafood and fine wines. "The last third will be devoted to my soul." It was Oct. 30, 1989, her 60th birthday.
The cynic in me can't help but wonder about someone who throws a big party to announce to everyone that they intend to spend their retirement years "devoted to their soul". She talks about it as if she were tending to a garden. I was expecting her to say something like "I spent the first two-thirds of my life devoted to myself, the last third will be devoted to God". But instead it sounds far more like the focus is on personal self-improvement.
Now, admittedly, 15 years in a strict convent is a pretty remarkable feat, and I would have thought that 15 years of focusing on God and being away from television, the internet, email and cell-phones etc. would enable anyone to really zero in on God in pretty profound and amazing ways. At least, that's what I hope. But, it still just kind of sounds odd. Like this was all just a pre-arranged thing that she could do to ensure her salvation.
And doesn't God call us to serve him for *all* our life, and not just part of it? I don't think the writer of the article particularly cares for her, or what she did, but I wonder how many people will read the article and marvel at her nobility for "sacrificing" everything for God? I worry that her actions perpetuate the myth that we should keep our spiritual lives and our day-to-day lives completely separate.
Bizarre.
posted by Jonathan Ziman at
4:51 PM
3 Comments:
Good point about how this woman's actions can proprogate the myth of separation between "life" and God.
I of course hope that in the past 15 years she's begun to experience God in a more personal fashion and come to understand that God asks for nothing more than our entire life.
What's great is that God meets us wherever we are and deals with us uniquely.
I used to have real trouble enjoying the luxuries of my life as a middle class American. My wealth and comfort is in stark contrast to the deprivation of fellow Christians in starving places in the world.
But there have been times when God has clearly allowed me to enjoy His abundance, His generosity- and to enjoy His world.
So, perhaps Ann Miller, a high-flying high-society gal was giving a party that was meaningful to her. She was, perhaps, acknowledging the excesses and selfishness of her life and by throwing a big bang up party, was making a clear break with the past.
I understand your point and think it's a great one. But I also love to see God use everything in our lives to bring us into closer relationship with Him. And actually, this party may not be such a big deal from His perspective.
By
Anonymous, at 4:38 PM
Good point about how this woman's actions can proprogate the myth of separation between "life" and God.
I of course hope that in the past 15 years she's begun to experience God in a more personal fashion and come to understand that God asks for nothing more than our entire life.
What's great is that God meets us wherever we are and deals with us uniquely.
I used to have real trouble enjoying the luxuries of my life as a middle class American. My wealth and comfort is in stark contrast to the deprivation of fellow Christians in starving places in the world.
But there have been times when God has clearly allowed me to enjoy His abundance, His generosity- and to enjoy His world.
So, perhaps Ann Miller, a high-flying high-society gal was giving a party that was meaningful to her. She was, perhaps, acknowledging the excesses and selfishness of her life and by throwing a big bang up party, was making a clear break with the past.
I understand your point and think it's a great one. But I also love to see God use everything in our lives to bring us into closer relationship with Him. And actually, this party may not be such a big deal from His perspective.
By
Anonymous, at 4:39 PM
lee said...
Good point about how this woman's actions can proprogate the myth of separation between "life" and God.
I of course hope that in the past 15 years she's begun to experience God in a more personal fashion and come to understand that God asks for nothing more than our entire life.
What's great is that God meets us wherever we are and deals with us uniquely.
I used to have real trouble enjoying the luxuries of my life as a middle class American. My wealth and comfort is in stark contrast to the deprivation of fellow Christians in starving places in the world.
But there have been times when God has clearly allowed me to enjoy His abundance, His generosity- and to enjoy His world.
So, perhaps Ann Miller, a high-flying high-society gal was giving a party that was meaningful to her. She was, perhaps, acknowledging the excesses and selfishness of her life and by throwing a big bang up party, was making a clear break with the past.
I understand your point and think it's a great one. But I also love to see God use everything in our lives to bring us into closer relationship with Him. And actually, this party may not be such a big deal from His perspective.
By
Anonymous, at 9:04 AM
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