Contemplative Haven

Oct 27 2009

Living the Precepts

Published by gabrielle at 10:39 pm under Faith/Hope/Love, Humility, Poverty

I am reading, “By Little and By Little. The Selected Writings of Dorothy Day”, and just wanted to share a passage about Peter Maurin that brought tears to my eyes:

Peter had been insulted and misunderstood in his life as well as loved. He had been taken for a plumber and left to sit in the basement when he had been invited for dinner and an evening of conversation. He had been thrown out of a Knights of Columbus meeting. One pastor who invited him to speak demanded his money back which he had sent Peter for carfare to his upstate parish because, he said, we had sent him a Bowery bum, and not the speaker he expected. “This then is perfect joy,” Peter could say, quoting the words of St. Francis to Friar Leo.

He was a man of sincerity and peace, and yet one letter came to us recently, accusing him of having a holier-than-thou attitude. Yes, Peter pointed out that it was a precept that we should love God with our whole heart and soul and mind and strength, and not just a counsel, and he taught us all what it meant to be children of God, and restored to us our sense of responsibility in a chaotic world. Yes, he was “holier than thou,” holier than anyone we ever knew.

[Excerpt from: By Little and By Little. The Selected Writings of Dorothy Day, Edited, with an Introduction, by Robert Ellsberg, pg. 127, from a letter entitled "Peter Maurin. A Poor Man", dated June 1949]

6 responses so far

6 Responses to “Living the Precepts”

# COon 27 Oct 2009 at 11:36 pm

A truly lovable man. I have often wondered why DD’s cause was put forward without his, for they fleshed out one another’s souls. (There is presently no cause for his sainthood, yet he was so geuinely humble, one can almost be sure he’d want things exactly this way; in my book, mentioning either one reminds me instantly of the other’s presence). Sometimes I think of all the troubles that having guests here has brought, and how the kids resented it, and how maybe it was not an example for them at all –perhaps 3 of the 4 will avoid such things as they move into life on their own. But that leaves that 1 of the 4 to carry on with the hard and the questionable and hopefully the Christly, doesn’t it? Thank you for this lovely bit; it’s like a birthday gift one remembers forever, and I’m going to sleep like a Peter Maurin tonight.
# ThePopeDidIt! Faithfully Catholic News, Blogs & Catholic Opinion » Blog Archive » Living the Preceptson 28 Oct 2009 at 8:30 am

[...] I am reading, “By Little and By Little. The Selected Writings of Dorothy Day”, and just wanted to share a passage about Peter Maurin that brought tears to my eyes: Peter had been insulted and misunderstood in his life as well as loved. He had been taken for a plumber and left to sit in the basement [...] Read more… [...]
# terryon 28 Oct 2009 at 10:19 am

This is particularly appropriate for me to read given some discussions within my family recently. How few Christ-like people there really are. How difficult to recognize and tolerate them when they appear.
# Carolon 31 Oct 2009 at 4:33 pm

True, Terry. It feels more and more like a Christian diaspora every day, and not necessarily a cohesive one. I saw some Catholic fellow make a crack about how shallow was the prelate who posted his article about our growing Catholic persecution on his own archdiocese webpage when the biased NY Times wouldn’t accept it even as Op-Ed. Why can’t we have some encouraging letters from Paul, too –hmm.. maybe that’s what last year was all about? But maybe where apathy for sin and persecution for holiness abounded, grace has abounded even more– maybe greater unChristliness is the very reason more and more people are answering the call and joining the Orders.
# gabrielleon 01 Nov 2009 at 1:18 am

I put off reading Dorothy Day for years, out of fear. I’m only half-way through the book, but already I feel like the young man in the Gospel we recently heard, turning and walking away sadly, knowing my limitations.
# Carolon 01 Nov 2009 at 2:31 am

Ah, well.. I said “no” in advance to any possibility of husband’s mother coming here someday to be cared for. I knew I’d be with her day in and day out (and nights) without support, while raising teens and toddlers and taking care of my own mother. His would’ve driven me crazy, and I’d have let her. St. Francis, on the other hand, would’ve asked, “Do you think your mother would like to come here when that hard day comes?”

Allegedly, DD said: “Love in reality is dreadful.”

Yep.