Living our poverty and chastity - Part 2

LIVING OUR POVERTY AND CHASTITY – PART 2

Cl. Mario D’Couto SDB

            Christ became poor in order to enrich the lives of all people with His love and His presence. He emptied Himself but God raised Him high.

            Temporal riches may become obstacles to spiritual wealth if we are not willing to share in Jesus’ mission of service to others for love of the Father. We are not free to follow Him if we are bound to our possessions in an ultimate sense.

            One sign that possessions possess us is that care for them demands the major portion of our time, energy, interest and concern. Throwing away the things I have or giving them to the poor does not seem to be the whole answer – though at times and for certain people this approach may be part of the answer depending on their life situation.

            There is nothing wrong with things in themselves. There is no need to feel guilty if I find myself enjoying the comforts of an affluent society. God has called us to live when and where we are. Time and energy needed to dress attractively and appropriately in relation to our world are not ill spent nor in the effort in arranging a beautiful garden or tasteful furnishings. These, too, are gifts from God and can enlarge our life and that of others. As long as they are received and enjoyed as such, poverty of spirit is possible. There is no gauge that measures how much is too much or what is excessive except for our attitude. In the measure that God is the centre of our lives, that we are possessed by Him and not by our possessions, we can experience poverty of spirit. What is luxury to one can be a normal part of life for another.

            Because we are tainted by the materialism of our present society, there is no question that for a majority of us the things we own can become central at one time or another. We are literally assailed with messages encouraging acquisitiveness. Therefore, thoughts of poverty on any level seem to go against the prevailing thrust of our culture.


            We should never underestimate the influence of the cultural forces around us nor the constant vigil needed to direct ourselves to Christ and away from the accepted idolatry of power and possession. Again, there is no blueprint to tell us what is too much. We need to remain on guard against being swallowed up by a surfeit of things and yet not afraid to enjoy them in the Lord in moderation and with detachment. 

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