My senior year of college, I stopped attending Mass regularly. I have not yet replaced the rituals which were such a crucial aspect in determining the essence of who I am, but I am beginning to redefine the sense of joy which was so foundational to my Mass ritual growing up. This joy was not simply elation at this thing or that, but a spiritual wellspring at the possibilities inherent in being alive.
As FJVs we have spent time living in small intentional communities, which are very tightly focused on the people we share a house with. But it is surely the case that we are meant to carry the four JVC values out into our lives with us. I wonder what it means to bring our experience of intentional community out into the communities around us, into our local neighborhoods, our cities, states, and nation.
I’d like to offer the consideration of simple living as something more than a practice of less. I feel as though my JV house, at least, was remiss in giving simple living it’s due, as a tenet; I believe it has a much wider conceptual scope and a much greater nuance of potential practices than I ever realized.
The Ruined Report 