My Forays Into Gospel Poverty

When I was about six years old, I got a pink silk dress for my birthday. I remember how it looked and felt. It delighted my soul. It wasn't brand new, but it felt new. Brand new clothes were very rare in my home. There were five of us, and not a lot of extra money. People regularly gave us bags of hand-me-downs which we counted as 'new' clothes and were quite happy to accept and pick through. The Indian custom of new clothes at festivals (Christmas for Christians) or at birthdays didn't make it to our home. We didn't think it necessary and were quite happy to have pretty and appropriate 'church clothes' wherever they came from.

But that silk dress was something special. I had a birthday party and wore the dress and felt every bit as special as a little birthday girl should. I hung the dress up in my cupboard, and treasured it as my own birthday-magic dress. The following December, my parents sat down the five of us to have a little talk. They told us about a family in the nearby slum they had visited.

"They have five children too, around the same ages as you all. But they live in a small one room house. They have much less than we have. Would you each like to select one of your nice outfits to give them as a Christmas gift?"

They gave us the freedom to decide what we wanted to give, and I remember going to the church clothes cupboard, and pulling out my pink silk dress. And I still remember the sense of satisfaction and joy that I got to give that special dress to some little girl who probably didn't get nice things very often. Did I regret it later? Did I miss that pink silk dress? Maybe. But I don't remember that part of the experience.

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When I was 24, I left my job to join a volunteer organization that focussed on evangelization and service to the poor. We were encouraged to find ways to live simply, and in solidarity with the poor. We fundraised our own salaries, and budgeted what we had to provide for our needs and give the rest to the poor. My first year was in the Philippines, and we had very little extra money. So my team mate and I ate canned tuna, rice and salad for most meals. Compared to the variety of food I had growing up, that was not the most interesting cuisine. But it was a small way to identify with those who had even less than we did. Over my nine years as a full-timer, I have usually cooked only vegetarian food at home (except when we had guests), rarely eaten at expensive restaurants, rarely bought new clothes or shoes, and took the cheapest transport whenever it was safe.

Outdoor tuition classes in the poor community we worked with in the Philippines

During my second year in the Philippines, my team bought a big sack of rice at the beginning of the month, and whenever anyone came to our door asking for help because their family had run out of food, we'd give them a bag of rice. One day we were low on funds and with not a lot of food in the house. A priest friend of ours turned up at the door with bananas, mangoes, oranges, a pineapple and eggs from a mass he had celebrated. An hour later our house was filled with our friends from the poor community we worked with. They had just taken their babies for doctor visits with some of our volunteers. We set before them fruits and egg rice, a feast provided by the Lord. We had little, but we always had enough.

I have always seen God provide me with much more than I have given away or given up. I have never bought a phone in my life. I have rarely paid for housing. I have always had appropriate clothes for fancy occasions.

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I have not always been successful at living simply or being as generous as I should have. I have bought unnecessary things at times, and regretted it later. I have been affected by wanting to look as cute or as cool as my contemporaries and wasted money trying to achieve that. I have wandered through malls with hungry eyes, wanting more, more, more and thinking "I need that! And that! And that!" I have filled my Amazon cart with things that I 'need', and then realized later that I didn't really NEED them. But the Lord has been patient with me, and I have learned to be patient with myself.

But each time I have been obedient I have experienced a new freedom, a spiritual openness, and a connection with Jesus in the poor.

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Today's Gospel is about the rich young man who Jesus asked to sell all he had, give to the poor and then go follow Jesus. He turned away sad because he had many possessions. Most people interpret that reading to mean we shouldn't be too attached to material possessions. Have them, but don't be too attached to them. But Thomas Dubay in the book 'Happy are You Poor' says that maybe Jesus really IS calling all of us who claim to follow Him to ACTUAL gospel poverty, not just detachment from our stuff.

But he says Gospel poverty isn't what we think it is. It isn't deprivation of our basic necessities. It doesn't mean not enjoying the pleasures of life. If we would like 'the poor' to have all they need and more, then God, our loving Father wants that for us too. It doesn't mean wearing shabby clothes or shoes with holes. It doesn't mean we shouldn't own homes or invest money or throw parties. So what is it then?

Gospel poverty is a lifestyle through which all I have is at the service of God and His children; a life of downward mobility, where I choose to live more simply in order to be able to give away more; a life where I ask God to guide my decisions of how much I should keep, save, spend, and give away; a life lived closer to actual poor people, forming real friendships, instead of in a bubble of other people as wealthy as I am.

It's going to look different for different people. It's going to look different for the same people at different stages of their life. It's going to look different for people in different states of life, vocations, and with different responsibilities and demands on their life. But that shouldn't stop us from starting somewhere, and allowing God to move our hearts and influence our decisions about our money and our possessions.

Next week: Practical Suggestions for How to Live Gospel Poverty

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