God is simple. Might be strange to hear this attributed to our never-fully-comprehendible Trinitarian God of Love, Wisdom, Sacrifice, and so much more. But thanks to the writings of great saints like Augustine and Aquinas, we can better understand the nature of God’s perfect simplicity of being. And this simplicity ought to beckon us to imitation.
One look at the Nativity. One look at Calvary. One look at the Holy Eucharist is enough to bring us to our knees. Here the God of the Universe is reduced to utter simplicity, poverty, and humility. As a result, the parents of the saints strove with all of their hearts and souls to become like Christ, teaching their children to do the same, by way of simplicity and humility.
Simplicity is often defined as the freedom from complexity, the lack of luxury, and sincerity. Simple souls relish the simple things in life and tend to find God in everyone and in everything. They tend not to complain because they see the hand of God in every circumstance. For instance, Céline Martin said this about her father, St. Louis: “I do not remember even once having heard him complain if anything disagreeable turned up” (Quoted in O’Hearn, 2021, p. 305). St. Louis Martin preferred traveling third class wherever he went and also attended the 6:00 a.m. Mass “because it is the Mass of the poor and working people” (305).
Simplicity is connected to poverty, as it is easier to be simple when you possess fewer things. But poverty doesn’t only pertain to the material—it pertains to the spiritual as well. So, one who has riches can, at the same time, embrace a life of simplicity, for it is a disposition of the heart.
As was the case for Bernard and Ellen Casey, the parents of Bl. Solanus Casey (1870–1957), who sought to live a simple lifestyle on their 345-acre farm in Wisconsin. The Casey Family treasured outdoor recreation, like hunting, fishing, and skiing, as well as their outdoor chores. With sixteen children—enough to nearly fill two teams, the family loved to play baseball. They threw and attended barn dances and enjoyed music. Boredom was not to be found in the Casey Family. They immersed themselves in the joys of daily living.
St. Thomas More was also raised in an atmosphere of simplicity. Throughout his childhood, St. Thomas would kneel down each morning and evening before his father to receive his blessing. He continued this practice even as an adult. Both John and Thomas possessed simple hearts because they appreciated something so simple and yet so powerful as a blessing.
Many parents today seek to pass along an inheritance to their children after they die, and rightly so. But the parents of the saints wanted to pass along more than just money. They wanted to pass along the Catholic Faith, virtue, and even their blessing. St. Ambrose once wrote, “You may not be rich; you may be unable to bequeath any great possession to your children; but one thing you can give them [is] the heritage of your blessing. And it is better to be blessed than to be rich” (323).
Simplicity also permeated the home of St. Faustina Kowalska. She and her nine siblings grew up in a small, two-bedroom home. Consequently, several children slept in the same bed, and the girls shared one dress. Sometimes St. Faustina could not attend Sunday Mass because it was not her turn with the shared dress. This broke her heart. St. Faustina’s father worked multiple jobs to provide for his family, but they still struggled financially. The family was so poor that their eight-year-old daughter was sent away to work as a nanny for distant relatives. Despite their hardships, though, the family prayed together each night. Faustina was in charge of their family altar. Clearly, the simplicity and poverty of St. Faustina’s childhood prepared her well for religious life and the great and holy visions she was to receive there.
In a world that prizes material wealth, academic degrees, and social status, the parents of the saints remind us that raising simple, humble souls who love God is greater than all of the treasures of this passing world. As St. André Bessette once said, “It is not necessary to have been well educated, to have spent many years in college, to love the good God. It is sufficient to want to do so generously” (292).
Several of the parents of the saints were illiterate, and certainly many more never had a theology degree. But what these parents did have was simplicity. And simplicity is the fertile soul that produces great saints. It begins when parents want nothing more than to become like God, who is simple, and want their children to be so also.
Editor’s Note: This article is part five of a series on the parents of saints by Patrick O’Hearn.
Photo from SolanusCasey.org
