It is a Thursday as I drive to the office, and consider this column. Along the route to the parish, my eyes are drawn to the numerous signs at nearly every corner. Hand lettered, computer generated, or purchased at the local value center, each sign loudly proclaims the same information: Garage Sale/Yard Sale/Moving Sale!

The commute continues past multiple storage facilities—places where people who have more stuff than they have space for at their house or apartment often rent space for extra storage. When our parish buildings were recently expanded to include a community center and gym, one of the top priorities was storage space!

Why do we have so much stuff?

How Much Do We Need?

Our family went to see the movie Wall-E recently. The movie opens with a scene of a deserted landscape. In this futuristic world, piles of discarded goods tower over buildings. It is the job of Wall-E, the title robot in the movie, to compact this trash into neat cubes. In the process, we learn that certain items capture Wall-E’s attention and he collects these treasures to keep for himself.

It becomes apparent later in the movie that it was the excessive consumerism of humans that resulted in the need to leave earth, literally, to find more space for their stuff. Seven hundred years after the last human has left earth, Wall-E has not made a dent in the compacting of the trash left behind.

We are encouraged, as are the characters in the movie, to buy more in order to save more, to stock up so as not to run out, to super-size our purchases. We learn that newer is better and replacement is preferable to repair. We are, as a culture, driven to consume and collect.

Are Our Ministries Different?

I am tempted in my ministry with young people to assume I need more than I do. If I have more, I will be able to better compete with the church down the street. What resources are available to me? What is the newest technology to impress? How can the youth room be better, bigger, more comfortable? What prizes will I give away this week?

The notion that young people are drawn to ‘stuff’ permeates even our well-intentioned efforts to evangelize and minister. Conspicuous consumption and rampant consumerism are visible elements in the lives of our youth. Do we, as youth leaders, inadvertently play into the need for more, better, and newer in order to succeed? I know that I do at times.

Far-Reaching Consequences

The consequences of our actions and purchasing habits can be far reaching. In a message to those gathered at Sydney Harbor for a World Youth Day event, Pope Benedict XVI said, "Perhaps reluctantly, we come to acknowledge that there are scars which mark the surface of our earth—erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world's mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption."

Where are we going with this need to own and consume? Is the Wall-E movie prophetic in its gentle message?

Materialism and consumerism are challenging topics for all of us. The need to analyze and challenge our culture calls us to a deeper level of self-analysis and criticism. As we work to engage and enlighten our young people and ministries, we will be personally challenged.

I know I will not be stopping at any garage or yard sales on the way home. My storage cabinet is full!