Bishop Tobin on Challenges to Simplicity and Detachment

"While in my local drugstore recently, I was looking to buy a new toothbrush. Not as simple as it sounds!

"The number of available options made my purchase a daunting, irritating task. There were, first of all, various brands, a factor that wasn't important. But, did I want one of the new high-tech, electric toothbrushes, or an old-fashioned, simple manual toothbrush? And even there, lots of decisions to be made. . . . There were toothbrushes with soft, medium and firm bristles; regular bristles and rounded bristles; and an 'indicator' toothbrush that told you when to discard it. There was a selection of bright colors; a travel toothbrush or the domestic stay-at-home model; and multi-packs with two, three or eight brushes. . . .

"Of course the plain old simple, single toothbrush I wanted was on the bottom rack, meaning I had to get on all fours to see it. . . ."

In a recent commentary,  Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, of the Diocese of Providence (RI), reflected on how "one of the challenges to successful, peaceful living today is that we are surrounded by too many options, too much clutter" and how the "imitation of Christ presumes a certain simplicity of life and a detachment from material things."

To access Bishop Tobin's complete essay, please visit:

The Imitation of Christ: All I Wanted Was a Toothbrush (14 FEB 19)