Poverty, Yes, But Not Under Compulsion

Thursday of the 19th Week in Course

If you did a survey among Americans to ask them to name their favorite saint, I would guess with some confidence that it is St. Francis of Assisi. And for a female saint, we could choose his close associate, St. Clare of Assisi, whom we celebrate today. As our prayer today tells us, Clare was a devotee of lady poverty, just as Francis was.

To the saints who dedicated themselves by a vow of poverty, that action was an act of obedience to Jesus, who told the rich young man in the Gospel, “Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” It is a radical way of following Jesus, who, said to an inquirer: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Jesus wants His disciples to travel light. That reduces the intimidation factor when sharing the Gospel and shows just how devoted we are to Jesus, by not carrying around all kinds of safety nets.

Such a way of life, in today’s language, leaves a very small footprint. People who have massive wealth also frequently make heavy demands on their physical and social environment. Consider a Bill Gates or a George Soros. Lots of wealthy people dedicate huge assets to establish foundations that promote anti-Christian or anti-human education or even health care. For one reason or another they seem to enjoy controlling human populations, both in numbers and in quality of life. So hold onto the thought that people like Jesus and Clare have small physical impacts on the world.

The elites today, whose favorite books in high school were Animal Farm, Brave New World and 1984 (because they thought those were great ways to structure society) consider the saints and their minimal footprints and ask “wouldn’t it be great if everybody lived like that? That would solve climate change and distribution of wealth and housing and really every human problem.” And it would, if everyone played the game willingly. But they forget the fall. They forget that human beings, all the way back to the beginning, collect stuff, and the more stuff they collect, the better they feel. Poverty is only holy when it is adopted because of devotion to a holy person or cause like Jesus and His Kingdom. I understand the slogan being pushed by World Economic forum and others is something like “in twenty years you won’t own anything and will be happy.” That doesn’t even begin to sound like an attractive human culture. That is communism, pure and simple, and we know how that worked in the last century. It is literally anti-human.

The Scriptures help us work our way through this. When the Lord comes on the last day, as Hosea says, He will come as a bridegroom. The Bridegroom, Jesus, gives up everything for the Bride, the Church. The Church values nothing as much as a bridal relationship with the Bridegroom. In that wondrous wedding banquet, the very earth will sing with the abundance of grain, wine and oil, in glorious celebration.

One cannot be fruitful in any way apart from Jesus. Those who try to force others to be good are playing God without acting like God. And when one plays God, they are actually channeling Satan, who tried to convince Adam and Ever that following his advice would be a shortcut to divinity. The only way for us to be adopted children of God, achieve divine status, is to give until we are in pain because that’s what Jesus did all through His life. And to do so gratefully and freely.