The practice of the vow of poverty is not an external imposition. It is a free choice made by each individual when we joined our religious Congregation and re-affirmed when we made our final profession. It is a choice we made in our eagerness to follow Christ the poor, “Christ who emptied himself (kenosis) for my sake.” It is a way of life we have chosen in order to imitate Him whom we want to follow as closely as possible. It is part of our religious life, affecting our personal lives and community life, as well as our apostolic works. Poverty, synonymous with humility, is the mother of all virtues and it has been dear to so many saints. For example, St Ignatius of Loyola says that poverty must be loved as a mother. He also sees poverty as the bulwark that defends us from all dangers to our religious life. The same images have been used by Pope Francis too in the context of our religious vocation, which must be protected from the onslaught of the worldly attractions we are exposed to in our day-to-day life. In this context, here are some thoughts for our proper understanding of and reflection on the practice of poverty.
Religious Poverty: Meaning and Implications
- Practice of poverty is to generously and willingly give up what I like to have for the sake of Christ and his Kingdom/mission. It is the total giving up (emptying) of oneself for the sake of others.
- It is to deny oneself. It is to live in solidarity with Him and His people. It is to identify oneself with the poor around us (spirit of self-emptying and incarnation).
- It is to be authentic followers/imitators of Christ the poor. It is to be content with the minimum, as Christ did. It is to preach Christ the poor through our way of life (evangelical poverty).
- It is to compare oneself with those who have less than what I have and not with those who have more than what I have. This is done with the desire to imitate him as closely as possible.
- It is to like what Christ likes and to do what He likes to do. It is to see everything from His perspective.
- It is to walk with the poor and see everything from the perspective of the poor.
- It is a way of life.
- It is to actually feel the pinch of lacking something needed or one would like to have in life.
- It is to be sensitive to the needs of others rather than of oneself. It is to be sensitive to the consequences of poverty of the poor around us.
- It is to do with personal integrity and credibility (walk the talk).
- It is to be free from all inordinate attachments which prevent us from making ourselves available for others and His Kingdom.
- It is to treat everything not as owners, but as responsible stewards of all the goods and resources at our disposal.
- It is to realize that all assets are meant for the mission and that we use them as responsible stewards and not as care-free owners. It is to be accountable to the religious society, to the people and to the Lord.
- It is an on-going discernment on the use of all things and resources at our disposal.
- It is a human attempt, by the grace of God, to be like Christ.
Fr Alex G., SJ
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