Everything In Its Place
Photo by John Brundage
But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).
“But God has so composed the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior part, that there may be no discord in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another” (1 Corinthians 12:21-25).
In my last post I wrote about a breakthrough I’ve recently experienced when it comes to keeping my room clean. If you’ll bear with me for one further “Local Seminarian Still Astonished that His Room is Clean” post, I’d like to share a little more about my experience. When I explained my breakthrough, I focused on an intensive declutter I performed in early January, and on how it helped change my relationship with my possessions. While that declutter was significant, I’ve realized that my breakthrough was far more than a one time event. Since the declutter, I’ve kept up with a few ongoing disciplines which Marie Kondo suggests in her book. These small changes have made a big difference.
Perhaps the most impactful one has been putting items back in their place when I’m done with them. I even empty out my laptop bag when I get home from school. I take everything out, and I put my computer, papers, and textbooks back on the shelf. I’ve benefited from this practice in two ways. First, it’s a phenomenal help in staying on top of clutter. Since the only items out of place are the items I’m currently using, there are never more than a few items out at a time. And since there are never more than a few items out at a time, putting them away rarely takes more than a minute. Secondly, over and above the practical benefits, this practice allows me to regularly experience the feeling of having reset. I can’t clock in and out of school work and ministry. If I’m not careful, everything can blend into everything. Resetting keeps things from getting overwhelming.
Emptying my laptop bag each day would have seemed like overkill to past John. And from the perspective of efficiency, it’s certainly more trouble than it’s worth. But from a psychological perspective, the small investment of extra effort has more than paid off by allowing me to experience closure and order each day. Classes are over, the day is done, and everything is back in its place.
I think the reason this change has been so significant for me is because I’ve gotten in closer touch with my human nature, and with God’s nature. In our Sacraments class, we’ve spoken a lot about how as human beings, we are not ghosts, pure spirits, or abstract entities. We are visible-physical beings, existing in time and space in relation to other visible-physical things. Every seminarian will spend lots of time studying Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, who took this reality very seriously. In the past month their teachings have come alive in an eye opening way for me.
And in their teachings we discover that it’s not just things that need a place, but also people. When someone doesn’t know what they want to do in life, we say that they are trying to ‘find their place’ in the world. When we feel awkward or uncomfortable, we say that we feel ‘out of place.’ When someone gets shown up for acting arrogantly or presumptuously, we say that they were ‘put in their place.’
In western culture we tend to shy away from the idea of people having their place. We’re uncomfortable with titles, formality, and hierarchy. To be fair, the concept has accumulated lots of baggage. These days the term hierarchy connotes domination, inferiority, subservience, and constraint. As Christians, we embrace hierarchy, but we reject the world’s degrading understanding of it. Although Jesus was the creator and rightful ruler of the entire universe, he did not use his authority for his own gain at the expense of others. He taught us through word and example to understand hierarchy as involving service, dignity, uniqueness, and order. A Christian hierarchy is totally free of envy, shame, or selfishness.
Take some time today to reflect on place and hierarchy. Where is your place? How do you relate with those in authority over you, and how do you treat those under yours? What does Jesus want to teach you here?
John Brundage is a seminarian with the Companions of the Cross. He also writes a Substack Newsletter called Integrated Prayer.