Perhaps the easiest of the promises that priests make, simplicity of life, challenges them to conform themselves to Christ the High Priest in their way of life. As we know of His life, it was anything but luxurious.

But what does simplicity of life really mean? A vow of poverty is straight forward. You do not own anything. The books you buy, the clothes you wear, and the food you eat are not your own. You live without those earthly ties. Simplicity of life flips this vow on its head. Priests receive a salary from the parish, health insurance, mileage reimbursement, retirement, and even money for food. The salary is modest. Most other clergy of other denominations receive more. They pay income tax. Housing too is usually provided. What they buy they own: the car, the clothes, the books, and the computer. They also try to give back like their parishioners, a full 10 percent back into the parish, and hopefully more. Priests live comfortably but they are not wealthy. Ultimately the reason for this promise is a call to live in the world, in the midst of the people they serve.

Yet the challenge is to live in a way that witnesses the Gospel. Any priest who overdoes it in the way they dress or perhaps the car they buy can easily scandalize the faithful. A life of simplicity requires a priest to live not only within his means but also with respect for the poorest of his parishioners. He shows that the most important thing is not what he has but who he is before God.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan tells the story of staying at a Dominican parish for a night while traveling from D.C. to St. Louis. He observed the simplicity of the room of an old Dominican there and asked him:

“Your room is so plain. Where do you keep the rest of your stuff?”

“This is it.”

“But it is so simple.”

“Well, if I walk down to your room all you’ve got is your suitcase!”

“Well, sure, but, after all, I’m just passing through.”

“Aren’t we all?”

It is so very true. We are simply passing through and possessions can blind us from our primary destination. We can get overly concerned about what we have rather than caring about the other. This having is not simply material either. It can be a desire for certain parish assignments, a certain advancement, or a desire to build our curriculum vitae.

Poverty ultimately plays a part in all the promises. As Cardinal O’Connor once stated, “Poverty is the fundamental virtue because all things flow from that: poverty of the will, that we call obedience; poverty of the desires of the body, that we call chastity; and then the obvious poverty, freedom from material possessions. Poverty is the ultimate freedom.”