Monday, August 19, 2019 Lady Poverty: Shall We Dance?

Today’s reflection centers around the stories of two young men.  One is the young man in the Gospel.  He must have been a fine young man!  He has an honest, forthright approach to life.  He comes up to Jesus with confidence and asks, “Teacher, what good must I do to inherit eternal life?”  A simple, yet profound question.  Jesus’ answer is a bit abrupt:  “Why do you ask me about the good?  There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into Eternal Life, keep the commandments.” 

The young man is undaunted!  “Which ones?” he asks.  Jesus names them. The young man responds, “All these I have done from my youth.”  Good answer!

But then the story takes a different turn.  Jesus says, “Go, sell what you have and give it to the poor, then come and follow me.”

That was something the young man was not willing to do, “for he had many possessions.” He turned and went away sad. 

St. Francis of Assisi

Frances Bernadone, a rich young man in the late 12th century, made a different choice.  When Jesus confronted him with this request, he stripped himself naked in front of his father, the bishop, and the people of Assisi, and began a pursuit of what he called “Lady Poverty.”  To him, absolute-own-nothing-beg-in-the-streets-for-food poverty was a beautiful, wonderful spirituality that left him free to spread the Gospel of Christ by simply being who he was.  He became one of our most beloved saints, St. Francis of Assisi—canonized just two years after his death in 1226.

The Issue of the Dance

The rich young man in the Gospel chose not to dance with Lady Poverty.  St. Francis made that dance the love and center of his life.  A Franciscan website describes St. Francis’ valuing of poverty this way:

“For Francis, Lady Poverty was symbolic of the poor Christ.  She was the symbol of the paradoxes of the Gospel, such as richness in poverty, life in death, strength in weakness, peace in temptation, fullness in emptiness and love in detachment and deprivation.  Lady Poverty made everything hard soft, and everything difficult easy.

For Francis, Lady Poverty also was a means to the indwelling of God and a way of life that makes present the kingdom of God here and now.  (“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”)  God takes up his dwelling among us only when we are poor in spirit, emptied and detached from all that prevents Him from filling us with himself. Lady Poverty involves simple living, an attitude of love, thankfulness and giving and using our gifts as they were intended.  It brings freedom and true joy and, above all, requires humility.  It involves cleaning out the clutter of our hearts and surroundings to make room for God and surrendering to His holy will.” https://ourladyofthepearl.com/franciscan-spirituality/lady-poverty/

Today

Today we have a pope who took the name of Francis and who calls the church to dance with Lady Poverty.  His words in Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) are well known,

“This is why I want a Church which is poor and for the poor.  They have much to teach us.  Not only do they share in the sensus fidei, but in their difficulties they know the suffering Christ.  We need to let ourselves be evangelized by them.  The new evangelization is an invitation to acknowledge the saving power at work in their lives and to put them at the center of the Church’s pilgrim way.  We are called to find Christ in them, to lend our voice to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them.” (Evangelii Gaudium, paragraph 198)

Some of the paragraphs before this one and many other statements of Pope Francis make it clear:  he sees Lady Poverty as St. Francis did—as a way to enter into the life and love and Presence of Christ in a deep, transformative way, not only helping the poor, but letting ourselves be transformed by them.

St. Pope John Paul II

St. Pope John Paul II called us to a similar poverty—though he spoke about it in a different way.  In both Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) and Salvifici Doloris (On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering) St. Pope John Paul II urges us to enter, empty handed, into the world of the vulnerable–the poor.  He speaks of Christ, commissioned to “bring good news to the poor” and stripped on the cross, as leading us to a place where we can be separated from all that holds us secure–and hostage to the ways and the evils of “the world.” Like Pope Francis, he sees entering into the vulnerability of the fragile and joining them as a way to spread the Gospel and change our crazy modern world.

In Evangelium Vitae he says,

“In a word, we can say that the cultural change which we are calling for demands from everyone the courage to adopt a new life-style, consisting in making practical choices—at the personal, family, social and international level—on the basis of a correct scale of values:  the primacy of being over having, of the person over things.  This renewed life-style involves a passing from indifference to concern for others, from rejection to acceptance of them.  Other people are not rivals from whom we must defend ourselves, but brothers and sisters to be supported.  They are to be loved for their own sakes, and they enrich us by their very presence.” (Evangelium Vitae, paragraph 98)

How Shall I Dance with Lady Poverty?

Even though my living and lifestyle is modest, I have everything I need.  Even though I would call myself “retired working poor,” by standards across the world, I am rich in possessions.  I am not a rich young man.  I am a rich enough, aging woman-widow-grandmother.  Is today’s Gospel calling me to sell what I have, give it to the poor, and follow Jesus? 

Or is that only if I want to be “perfect”?  Is today’s Gospel for a chosen few or for you and me?

I think this Gospel is for me.  I don’t think I am supposed to do what St. Francis did.  To be honest, I’m not sure how simple and sharing a lifestyle God wants me to have.  I pray about it.  Beyond practicing simplicity, living on less, and sharing what I have, God has not given me clear direction.

But God is giving me clarity that I need to strip myself and let go of anything and everything that prevents me from entering into a solidarity with the Carebound I serve. I especially need to let go of beliefs that I am giving to them. Experience after experience tells me we are giving to each other. I am changed each week by what I learn from them. As I am changed, I become more like them. And then we bring Christ to each other.

I can’t explain it.  I don’t understand it.  But I know Jesus, St. Francis, Pope Francis, and St. Pope John Paul II are ALL correct:  “Let go.  Come follow Jesus empty handed, vulnerable, and willing to share—and life will be gained.”

That is where God calls me today. But where does God call you? What needs to be let go of? What needs to be embraced? How does God, through life, invite you to dance with Lady Poverty?

Prayer:

Yes, Lord, I choose to dance with Lady Poverty. Thy Kingdom come.  Thy will be done.  On earth, in me, as it is in heaven.  Amen.

About the Author

Mary Ortwein lives in Frankfort, Kentucky in the US. A convert to Catholicism in 1969, Mary had a deeper conversion in 2010. She earned a theology degree from St. Meinrad School of Theology in 2015. Now an Oblate of St. Meinrad, Mary takes as her model Anna, who met the Holy Family in the temple at the Presentation. Like Anna, Mary spends time praying, working in church settings, and enjoying the people she meets. Though formally retired, Mary continues to work part-time as a marriage and family therapist and therapy supervisor. A grandmother and widow, she divides the rest of her time between facilitating small faith-sharing groups, writing, and being with family and friends. Earlier in her life, Mary worked avidly in the pro-life movement. In recent years that has taken the form of Eucharistic ministry to Carebound and educating about end-of-life matters. Now, as Respect for Human Life returns to center stage, she seeks to find ways to communicate God's love and Lordship for all--from the moment of conception through the moment we appear before Jesus when life ends.

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14 Comments

  2. Incredible stuff today! So rich, honest and caring. You are a very special servant Mary O. I thank you for the insight and inspiration. I’m not a very good dancer…maybe I need a little more practice.

  4. Thanks Mary. Much to think about in your reflection. As you point out we all live in a “crazy modern world.”

  5. This gospel always tugs at me wondering what His will is for me, thank you for your insight, much to pray on.

  6. Thanks Mary. I Know God wants me to give up something in my life. I am praying for the grace to let go and to surely know what it is.

  7. why doesn’t the Pope sell off most of the wealth the church holds throughout the world?? He could divest 50% and still the church would have great holdings. His works do NOT match his rhetoric at all. Someone needs to lead the church to Lady Poverty; so let’s call on Francis to do just that!

  8. Admittedly, the same thought as above re the Church divesting holdings, occurred to me. Seems reasonable to me. Comments anyone?

  9. I have always been embarrassed by the wealth of the Catholic church. Even went to the Evangelical church for over 40 years, but now I’m back and I so love it. But question all the pomp and wealth. I often think of what Jesus who had nothing materially .

  11. In my travels I’ve seen many churches in poor condition. Land and building maintenance and replacement are very large expenses not to mention employee retirement funds and support of the poor and evangelizing efforts.

    Thank you Mary for reminding us that we need to focus on ourselves. We have a personal relationship with the lord. I don’t feel better or worse based on the performance of others and either does the lord – in my opinion. On judgement day “I” will have to answer for my actions in how I managed all that the lord gave me in this life.

    I don’t know how much money our church has. In my travels I’ve seen a lot of old churches in need of repair. I’m also aware of many parishes that are not doing well financially. I pray that the people in charge are looking closely at this situation and will take appropriate action.

  12. Hey Mary,

    Your reflection can be summed up in one of the most difficult things anyone can do…surrender.

    Mark

  13. I’m bothered by the rhetoric of “us” versus “them” in what Pope Francis says. It’s as if the Church is “us,” made up of rich people, and “they” (the poor) are not part of the Church. Poor people can’t be part of the Church? I don’t think that’s what he means, but that is the rhetoric he sets up. “They” have something to teach “us.” But are poor people not members of the Church, too?

    I remember one church I used to attend had the deacon give a homily and it was in the same vein. Sometimes, petitions are like that, too, i.e. have “them” (the poor) teach “us,” as if the poor weren’t in the pews with us. A parish priest once described a meal that university students with limited ingredients (limited, since it was a cooking challenge) made for him. It was meant to be a joke, but I didn’t laugh. Some people deal with limited ingredients every day. In fact, our St. Vincent de Paul Society collects food for the poor. And yet, in the same parish, the priest didn’t get the connection that the simple meal with random ingredients was a reality for many people, and not a joke? Others laughed, but I’m sure I’m not the only one who was offended. I have read accounts of poverty, in which people ate “ketchup sandwiches,” since that’s all they had. The meal of salsa, noodles, and vegetables that the students made for the priest is not something to make fun of.

    My two cents on the perception of the poor as “other” in our Church.

  14. Oh, that annoying Jesus of Nazareth, he always focuses on each individual instead of envisioning The Larger Picture! He didn’t tell the rich young man to go to the Temple in Jerusalem and harangue the High Priest about selling off the Temple’s fancy gold decorations and giving the money to the poor (something that could have done the High Priest a world of good) he tells the young man to do what he can with his own life, with what he has, what he is responsible for. If we all did that, gave all we can of ourselves and let the rest of the world go its own way (and seeing our happiness, maybe follow our example) wouldn’t we be just like Francis of Assisi – and ultimately, just like Christ?

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