Holy Poverty & Avarice

I have wanted to write about poverty for quite some time but after reading the passage quoted below, I no longer feel the need to for the subject had already been written on and far more eloquently and succinctly than I ever could.

The topic of poverty is particularly apropos during the Christmas season when we are being reminded of those who are poor and deserve to have the things they cannot afford. While we must not forget about those who are suffering financially, it is also important to realize that society is continually brainwashing us into believing falsely that satisfaction or happiness can be had by possession of new toys or the latest electronic gadgets and that sin and guilt can be washed away by donations.

Below is an excerpt from “The Evening Sermon on Saint Francis Preached at Paris, October 4, 1262” by Saint Bonaventure:

“As the heavens are arranged in spheres of high, higher, and highest heavens, so there is a poverty borne in patience that is good, a poverty that is desired and longed for which is better, and poverty embraced with joy in which a person glories and rejoices, which is best of all. Poverty, therefore, is the reason why a person can be likened to the heavens, because it leads to the kingdom of heaven. Our Lord says: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Poverty excludes those who do not love it, or who malign it, from the kingdom of heaven, as Scripture says: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, that is, for a rich man who has set his heart on riches and placed his trust in them. Avarice drags a person down because those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. Take note that avarice casts a person into the depths. Poverty, on the other hand, uplifts a person to the state of heavenly life and, above all, that poverty in which a person glorifies and rejoices.” Emphasis original.




Bibliography:

Armstrong, Regis J. O.F.M. Cap. et.al. Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Volume II, The Founder. Pages 718, 722. New York: New York City Press, 2000.