These Things I Own

“He will regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar, aware that nothing is to be neglected.” RB 31:10-11

When I was a tween, my father refurbished our back porch. When he was finished, he let us carve our initials in the wet concrete and placed a penny in it to mark the year. When the job was done, he set about instructing each of us on how to clean his tools: trowels, a wheelbarrow, a level, and wooden braces. Everything had to be cleared of any sign of this most recent job.

Of course, we whined and complained because he was only going to get them dirty again. But he was teaching us an important lesson, the same lesson St. Benedict is teaching in chapter 31. It’s twofold: respect the next person who will need these tools by leaving them ready to be picked up and used again; and reverence your materials so they last a long time.

So now, more than fifty years later, I am an academic. I rarely use a hammer and don’t even own a trowel. So, how does this lesson apply to my life?

I have books, a desk, and furniture of other sorts in my office and home. I feel obliged to continually vacuum and dust and straighten and wipe down and preserve, for as long as I can, these things I own. They are not all of equal value, but they are mine, and I want them to be useful every time I use them. I want everything I own to be ready for someone else to whom I might gift it, or donate it, or lend it.

I often buy used books online. I’m intrigued by the quality labels attached, especially in comparison with the actual condition of the books when I receive them. When I think about the things I own, I ask myself: Am I leaving things in good condition, or in very good condition, or in like new condition? Is this thing care-worn, ruffled, or rusted? Could it use a little oil in the moving parts?

My father and Benedict are always asking me: Are you thinking of the next person who will use this thing? Are you taking good care of it? Are you ready to pass it on?

I’m trying.

Benedict’s instruction is meant to help us realize that we, in fact, own nothing in this world. It’s all borrowed and meant to be useful to everyone. So, think of the next guy in line for your used furniture, and take care of it now. Think of the people who might benefit from a donation of your clothes that you don’t wear any more because they are old, or too small, or too large. Think of the person who will own your home after you. Are you treating everything with reverence so that they get good benefit from it, too?