Called to Simplicity

By Tim O'Brien, Cap Corps DC 2024-2025

What does it mean to feel called to simplicity?

Earlier this fall, God brought me to the most beautiful city in the world to see Carlo Acutis & Pier Giorgio Frassati be canonized, and in His miraculous wisdom, it was this painting that utterly floored me. From the ornate gold in St. Peter’s Basilica and the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, Sassetta by Stefano di Giovanni drove home for me the fact that humility and simplicity are succinctly intertwined. It was a lesson I learned many times in my year in Cap Corps. Sassetta, also known as The Madonna of Humility, depicts our Mother sitting on the ground gazing, with love, into the eyes of her Son. 

"Sassetta” by Stefano di Giovanni, The Madonna of Humility

The simplicity of the painting spoke to me much like the simplicity of the moment spoke to me. No distractions, just God speaking to me through the beauty before me. This was a theme for me in my year of service. I gave God what I had and he gave it back to me tenfold. Mary didn’t have gold to give to God, she had the simple gift of herself to give and she bore Jesus and devoted her life to Him. In my year with Cap Corps, the more we humbled ourselves and served our community, the more I felt in union with God.

Time and time again, I was fed in the simplicity of the year. I was given what I needed for the journey. I didn’t quite know what to expect when I said yes to Cap Corps, but I knew I was ready to surrender myself to finding out what God had in store.

In Fr. Dave’s welcome homily at Alverno last year, he told us that “the Cap Corps year is a year set aside.” He was so right! The four pillars of simplicity, prayer, community, and service consisted of everything we would need for the journey. Just like when Jesus called on St. Martin of Tours to surrender his cloak to the beggar or the litany of other saints He called to surrender to Him, in a very real sense, he was calling on us to surrender the goods of the world and live simply, so that we could run to Him more freely.

Fr. Dave celebrating the welcome Mass, Tim kneeling second from left.

During the year, there were countless ways in which I wasn’t initially aware of in which God was asking me to surrender more. It was in the letting go, that I could see how God was calling me closer to Him. This brought about a lot of peace in my prayer life and I came to know how integral it is to pay attention to where the peace is and to draw ever closer. 

Leaning into the Capuchin way, I saw more closely the beauty of simplicity present in the Order. I came to appreciate the day to day yes each Brother lives out and the peace this brings about in their lives. The littleness of showing up for one another whether it be for counsel, for laughter, in humble service, or to pray together, means that a Brother is well-equipped to show up along the way which was then neat to see that take root for George, Peter, and me throughout the year. 

Br. Ryan sharing his vocation story with Cap Corps.

My year in Cap Corps grew my understanding of simplicity tenfold. It was not all at once, but by stepping into that call moment by moment and encounter by encounter. The simplicity of being present, letting go, turning to God and embracing those around me fed me in ways I did not expect. To have learned how to find that peace during my year in Cap Corps has been a wonderful gift that keeps on giving.

(1) Tim (center) sightseeing in Philadelphia with Peter (left) and George (right) (2) hiking in Virgina, (3) woodworking with Br. Stephen in Pittsburgh