Happy Are You Poor by Fr. Thomas Dubay

Author:Fr. Thomas Dubay [Dubay, Fr. Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Spiritual & Religion
ISBN: 9781681492254
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Published: 2009-06-28T16:00:00+00:00

Level Two

Our levels of poverty interlink and blend into one another. If one lives level one perfectly, he is likely to find himself in level two as well. There are no hard line divisions.

a. Giving up necessities for others. Saint Paul praises the Macedonians, who spontaneously gave from their “intense poverty” to relieve the need of another church, and he notes how they “begged and begged” for this favor of giving, but at the same time the apostle does not require the Corinthians to make extreme sacrifices in their giving (2 Cor 8:1ff.). However, in our modern world of ghastly destitution we may well be called on to surrender lesser necessities to alleviate the sufferings of the billions in dire need. Vatican Council II twice admonished the faithful that it is not enough to give from superfluities but that we are to aid the poor even from our need (GS nos. 69, 88). Pope John Paul II on the occasion of his visit to the United States made the same point. I know of two monasteries in the northern United States in which during the winter months the nuns not merely lower the thermostat; they turn off the heat entirely through the night. In one of the monasteries the heat is also turned off for about four hours during the afternoon. Is there some discomfort? Yes. But as far as I know, no illness follows.

b. Begging for the poor and serving them. Saint Paul begged for his needy ones (2 Cor 8 and 9). So many saints through the centuries have followed his example that I shall not give specific examples. It may suffice for us to note that in this begging and in serving the needy at one’s own table the follower of Christ is giving not only what he has but what he is. Because one no longer has possessions to give, he goes out to get the gift and thus gives of his own time and energy—and at the same time reaps the further benefit of ridding himself of some pride.

c. Poverty just short of destitution. Through the centuries there have been, and in our day there still are, those persons who wish to live poor with the poor Christ by freely choosing to lack what most people consider the very necessities of life. They live Saint Thomas’ principle that “it is good to give your goods to the poor, but it is better to be needy with Christ.”11 Before her conversion Saint Margaret of Cortona lived in public sin as the mistress of a wealthy young cavalier. After his death she had a change of heart, did public penance, and while still a laywoman lived on alms, gave herself to prayer and the care of the poor. Any “unbroken food” she received she gave away; what was left of the broken food she used for herself and for her child born out of wedlock. As Margaret grew older she slept at night on the bare ground, and her diet consisted of a little bread and raw vegetables.

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