The passing of a great saint

[kara speltz]

One of the most profound understandings of nonviolence to me is the concept of "simple living." Gandhi wrote, "Live simply, so others might simply live."

This past Palm Sunday, April 5, we lost one of the great teachers of simple living, Sr. Jose Hobday. She wrote the book on it, literally.

Sister José was one of the great spiritual teachers of our times. Born in Texas to a Seneca-Iroquois mother and a Southern Baptist father, José was both a Seneca elder and a Franciscan nun. She became a full time lecturer and for decades gave workshops across the country on prayer and spirituality.

She used her Native American insights about love of the earth, family, community and the simple life to inspire others to live a more authentic life of prayer, simplicity, poverty, peace and wonder.

With the global economy collapsing, wars still raging, the climate warming and nuclear arsenals threatening -- plus church folk arraying themselves along divisions ever more hostile -- the need to live according to God’s ways seems more urgent than ever. The daily reality of suffering keeps proclaiming that everything must change. It declares that we need God’s gift of peace, that “we must be the change we seek.”

The world’s suffering calls to us to turn away from the fray of violence toward the Way of nonviolence. And that, requires quality time for quiet prayer and peaceful relationships. It requires that we tend the earth, give alms to the needy, support justice and peace movements. And enter upon the path of downward mobility. Downward mobility -- a clever term that overturns national presumptions and counters cultural aspirations. It names the process of simplifying our lives and forging solidarity with the meekest of the world.

In her classic book, Simple Living, recently republished by Continuum, she writes that simple living "is about freedom. It's about a freedom to choose open and generous living rather than a secure and sheltered way. ... Simple living is about moving through life rather lightly, delighting in the plain and the subtle."

In Simple Living, José writes that to achieve free-wheeling love, compassion and joy, we have to give away our possessions, try to be as poor as possible, let go of power and control, and seek radical dependence on God. Downward mobility and voluntary poverty not only remind us of our need for God, but counter the current reliance on corporations, fueled by greed, Wall Street values, and first-world consumerism.

Simple living means sharing what we have, relying on God and one another, and offering an alternative future of economic sharing and global equality. José teaches us how we can emulate Gospel economics in a time of economic upheaval. Instead of seeking money, possessions and job security, we seek God and one another, and live in solidarity with those in need as best we can. In the process, we relinquish our need for fear and violence, get disarmed, and become more and more nonviolent.

She writes that voluntary poverty is rich with blessings, especially a profound sense of freedom and adventure. “We are created for adventure and it is this spirit of adventure that simplicity nurtures.”

Much of what I've posted here is from an article written by Fr. John Dear, author and peace activist. I've added some comments and edited out others, but I felt compelled to share Sr. Jose's life and works as part of our Soulforce journey.

Kara

[BenL]

Kara,

Sister Jose was indeed a prophet to a hurting world in difficut times. I'm sorry your post didn't get more traction -- and that I didn't get to read it until now.

I'm sure she was aware that her teaching about simple living has never been popular in the broader culture. Many people yearn for a simpler day while they hold on tenaciously to their complex web of belongings, both physical and psychological. I'm trying to learn to let go of what is not part of the divine in my life, but I find it very difficult indeed. (Why do we so often prefer things to love?) Thanks for the gentle reminder and the good news about this saintly woman's life. May she rest in God's peace.