Set aside for God's purpose

In July, Pope Francis published a letter on the important role literature plays in priestly formation; it develops an imaginative empathy that enables clergy to see how others see.

​When the letter came out, my family and I were watching the 4-part mini-series Stories of a Generation, featuring Pope Francis (2021, available on Netflix). In one episode, the acclaimed film director Martin Scorsese reads a moving passage from Marilynne Robinson’s book Gilead to his daughter. Over the past couple of years of diaconal formation, I have read a lot of non-fiction theology, but I had not read a novel for pleasure in years. So, prompted by the Pope and one of the greatest film makers of all time, I took the nudge and found a copy of Gilead at the library.

Gilead is an achingly beautiful memoir of aging pastor John Ames, who married and had a son late in life. Ames’ advanced age and worsening heart condition means he will never know his son as an adult or be able to guide him into manhood. The novel unfolds as a series of diary entries Ames writes to his young son to share with him their family history and posthumously guide him in living a good and holy life.
​
Ames embodies the “profound spiritual affinity between priest and poet” that Pope Francis refers to, and in Ames, Robinson has created an insightful sage whose diary reads like the Book of Proverbs. One line continues to resonate with me: “Every day is holy, but the Sabbath is set apart so that the holiness of time can be experienced.” 

I started to see “set asides” everywhere I looked, awakening in me a new fullness of life.

Sunday is set aside as holy to remind us that all our fleeting time comes from and belongs to Him. We set things apart not to divide the world into what is God’s and what is not God’s, but to remind us that all is His. God commands us to honour our mother and father, Ames writes to his son, “because every human being is worthy of honour,” and singling out the mother and father teaches us the conscious discipline of respecting the dignity of every person made in God’s image.

During Mass, we set aside a portion of our money and time, reminding us that we are offering back to God all the gifts he has given us. This conception of setting aside provides a valuable insight into the ancient symbol of the covenant, circumcision. The men of the covenant set aside a part of flesh and blood to remind them that every necessary and pleasurable rhythm of life belongs to God, as does all they give birth to.  

When entering the Church, the small containers of holy water (meaning water set aside for God’s purpose) remind me that clean water – a necessary element for life that I too often take for granted – is a gift from God, and that by my baptism, I too am set aside for God’s purpose.

Being set aside for God’s purpose unlocks our identities as a “chosen portion.” St. Clement wrote to the Corinthians, “We are a portion of the Holy One,” so “let us approach him in holiness of soul, raising up to him hands pure and undefiled, out of love for our good and merciful Father who made us a chosen portion for himself.” Our status as God’s chosen portion ultimately frames and guides our actions with other people. Ames puts it this way: “people tend to forget that we are to love our enemies, not to satisfy some standard of righteousness, but because God their father loves them.” As a portion of the Holy One, we are commanded to love others as He loved us because they are also chosen portions. 

​Pope Francis views literature as vital for formation because it educates the imagination and attunes us to hear the Voice that speaks through many voices, training us to hear the diverse needs in our community. Gilead successfully delivers what Pope Francis aptly describes as “a vision of the true and the good that discloses itself as beauty.” So, take the Pope’s advice, which is very similar to the call that prompted St. Augustine’s conversion: “Take up and read!” 

---

Written by Jason Openo for Faithfully. ​Written by Jason Openo for Faithfully. Jason is a permanent diaconate candidate who attends St. Patrick's Parish with his family in Medicine Hat. ​