37 min
The Virtue of Poverty – II Love Crucified
-
- Christianity
Lourdes Pinto
Growth in true poverty must involve both the works of mercy and the purification and emptying of our hearts. This reflection focuses, through the Gospel of Mathew 6:1-18, on the difficult process of the purification of our desires and the hypocrisy which lies hidden in all of us.
Virtue of Poverty II
2/18/21
Poverty brings forth chastity, and chastity brings forth obedience, which is the essence of Love. (Simple Path #66, p.204)
I. 63. THE PURIFICATION OF YOUR DESIRES —DIARY OF A MOC. P.187
The purification of your desires is the first stage of purification in My Sacred Heart. You begin to move only according to My desires and not yours. You no longer do what you want to do, nor go where you want to go, but now, you go only where I take you. You choose to live each day according to what is most difficult, not what is easiest. This will require a greater discipline of your will, greater silence, and stillness of soul in Me.
• Saint Augustin- Our heart longs for God:
- The entire life of a good Christian is, in fact, an exercise of holy desire.
- By desiring heaven, we exercise the powers of our soul. Now, this exercise will be effective only to the extent that we free ourselves from desires leading to infatuation with this world. Let me return to the example I have already used of filling an empty container. God means to fill each of you with what is good, so cast out what is bad! If he wishes to fill you with honey and you are full of sour wine, where is the honey to go? The vessel must be emptied of its contents and then be cleansed. Yes, it must be cleansed even if you have to work hard and scour it. It must be made fit for the new thing, whatever it may be.
•The virtue of poverty requires SACRIFICE because we must be willing to RENOUNCE to many things our flesh desires.
– Example: 1st level of poverty - buying clothes and then returning them…
– “Poverty consists in large measure in sacrifice. It means knowing how to do without the superfluous. And we find out what is superfluous not so much by theoretical rules as by that interior voice which tells us we are being led by selfishness or undue love of comfort.” (Interview with Saint Josemaria Escriva on the virtue of poverty)
– “Detachment is the key. Are we attached to the material things we have, or do we entrust our riches totally to the Lord, knowing that He gives and He takes away? Practicing virtue requires hard work and sacrifice. Practicing poverty as a virtue does not necessarily mean ridding ourselves of everything we own of which we’re fond, but it does require a deep inward dive to ask an honest question: how would I respond if this phone, cherished book, painting from a child, picture of a deceased loved one, treasured necklace, workshop, car, house, etc. were taken away? We might think the Lord would only ask us to spare the things we have in surplus – clothes, books, toys, the extra-full pantry – but He often asks us to give or let go of that which is precious.” (Embracing the Virtue of Poverty in Your Own Life, By Kenzie Key)
• 110. SPIRIT OF POVERTY —DIARY OF A MOC. P. 303
The spirit of poverty is lived when you allow the Holy Spirit, My Blessed Mother, and Myself to strip you of everything interiorly: your desires, expectations, plans, attachments, securities, consolations in friendships,...
Lourdes Pinto
Growth in true poverty must involve both the works of mercy and the purification and emptying of our hearts. This reflection focuses, through the Gospel of Mathew 6:1-18, on the difficult process of the purification of our desires and the hypocrisy which lies hidden in all of us.
Virtue of Poverty II
2/18/21
Poverty brings forth chastity, and chastity brings forth obedience, which is the essence of Love. (Simple Path #66, p.204)
I. 63. THE PURIFICATION OF YOUR DESIRES —DIARY OF A MOC. P.187
The purification of your desires is the first stage of purification in My Sacred Heart. You begin to move only according to My desires and not yours. You no longer do what you want to do, nor go where you want to go, but now, you go only where I take you. You choose to live each day according to what is most difficult, not what is easiest. This will require a greater discipline of your will, greater silence, and stillness of soul in Me.
• Saint Augustin- Our heart longs for God:
- The entire life of a good Christian is, in fact, an exercise of holy desire.
- By desiring heaven, we exercise the powers of our soul. Now, this exercise will be effective only to the extent that we free ourselves from desires leading to infatuation with this world. Let me return to the example I have already used of filling an empty container. God means to fill each of you with what is good, so cast out what is bad! If he wishes to fill you with honey and you are full of sour wine, where is the honey to go? The vessel must be emptied of its contents and then be cleansed. Yes, it must be cleansed even if you have to work hard and scour it. It must be made fit for the new thing, whatever it may be.
•The virtue of poverty requires SACRIFICE because we must be willing to RENOUNCE to many things our flesh desires.
– Example: 1st level of poverty - buying clothes and then returning them…
– “Poverty consists in large measure in sacrifice. It means knowing how to do without the superfluous. And we find out what is superfluous not so much by theoretical rules as by that interior voice which tells us we are being led by selfishness or undue love of comfort.” (Interview with Saint Josemaria Escriva on the virtue of poverty)
– “Detachment is the key. Are we attached to the material things we have, or do we entrust our riches totally to the Lord, knowing that He gives and He takes away? Practicing virtue requires hard work and sacrifice. Practicing poverty as a virtue does not necessarily mean ridding ourselves of everything we own of which we’re fond, but it does require a deep inward dive to ask an honest question: how would I respond if this phone, cherished book, painting from a child, picture of a deceased loved one, treasured necklace, workshop, car, house, etc. were taken away? We might think the Lord would only ask us to spare the things we have in surplus – clothes, books, toys, the extra-full pantry – but He often asks us to give or let go of that which is precious.” (Embracing the Virtue of Poverty in Your Own Life, By Kenzie Key)
• 110. SPIRIT OF POVERTY —DIARY OF A MOC. P. 303
The spirit of poverty is lived when you allow the Holy Spirit, My Blessed Mother, and Myself to strip you of everything interiorly: your desires, expectations, plans, attachments, securities, consolations in friendships,...
37 min