My husband was a civil servant before retirement, and I am a Catholic school teacher. While raising three children, most of our salaries were gone after food, clothing, and shelter were paid for. We always considered ourselves "broke", not "poor". ☺️ We have always tried to be generous however we could, and we found that when a need was looming, it was always taken care of somehow. We tried to plan and make good decisions, but God is in charge, and for us he has always provided.
Thank you, Emily. These are good reminders - and so beautifully written as always! I am praying for your journey and especially that your children sleep well on the flights and while there!
Assisi will be a great place to think more about radical, voluntary, Gospel poverty: now that St Francis and Bl. Carlo Acutis are visited "side-by-side" by pilgrims from all over the world. Both were young men born into families of substantial wealth and who "shed" it when they discovered a much greater treasure. What is impossible God made possible in the lives of these two "rich young men" (see: camel passing through needle-eye).
...
Poverty as spiritual practice is only so because communion with God demands true justice. Wealth for some inevitably means poverty for others, and we cannot say we love God if we are indifferent to our brother. See also Matthew 25, and the Early Church fathers, on hoarding the possessions which rightfully belong to the poor.
Wealth indeed is spiritually dangerous, because it hardens our hearts and makes us forget. But the eyes of God are always on the poor, to rescue them and "keep them alive in famine."
I was so excited to see the title of this one. Money and relationship to it is a big struggle in our life (mostly my provider husband, not to throw him under the bus). There was a lot of good stuff here! I will be reading the first part out loud with him for sure - it contains a lot of the answers to questions we grapple with on a daily basis. But I will be honest and say, so that maybe I’ll find what im looking for in the future, that as I read on I was waiting for a little more from our perspective. So many church articles about money seem to be from the perspective of the “poor” being the other people; how to manage money or which charities to donate to are not the things we wonder about at all. We’re in survival mode financially. The finer things are not a temptation at all- we couldn’t care less- we just want to be able to provide a stable life for our kids which takes resources. The struggle is not temptation to wealth but temptation to anger and bitterness that people around us (even in church) make a few phone calls at their desk and bring home millions, while my husband wakes up in the dark and toils in the sun and heat 6-7 days a week to make two ends barely meet. We talk about God’s will - that as long as we are pursuing it, our lack of financial resources won’t stop our kids from reaching their God given potentials. I believe that, but my husband feels guilty that he can’t provide our kids with more opportunities (Catholic pilgrimages, Catholic college, tutors, sports, the arts, etc) because we aren’t rich and weren’t handed any inheritance or wealth. We do our very best creatively on one income to homeschool, and work SUPER hard, and I believe God can take our loaves and fish and make it enough for his plan for our kids. But man it’s tough for a husband and father not to notice the others who seem to be so comfortable and providing so much more with ease, while the perils of being rich is rarely talked about at church. Thanks for this article- it does give us a lot to reflect on!
Thank you again, I have come to appreciate your writing (and Visitation Sessions)sooo much jn the past year. Please pray for my families credit card debt, so ugly from my immaturity! And please pray for our school and community as we continue to seek true catholicity and our particular involvement. I have been sending my prayers for your family in my rosaries this week and will continue to do so. God Bless and I look forward to the snippets you share
I'll pray that your trip goes well for you and everyone with you. And thanks for the Merit Minimalist link. I've been looking for something like that. I think Bone might do it. Blessings!
My husband was a civil servant before retirement, and I am a Catholic school teacher. While raising three children, most of our salaries were gone after food, clothing, and shelter were paid for. We always considered ourselves "broke", not "poor". ☺️ We have always tried to be generous however we could, and we found that when a need was looming, it was always taken care of somehow. We tried to plan and make good decisions, but God is in charge, and for us he has always provided.
Thank you, Emily. These are good reminders - and so beautifully written as always! I am praying for your journey and especially that your children sleep well on the flights and while there!
Assisi will be a great place to think more about radical, voluntary, Gospel poverty: now that St Francis and Bl. Carlo Acutis are visited "side-by-side" by pilgrims from all over the world. Both were young men born into families of substantial wealth and who "shed" it when they discovered a much greater treasure. What is impossible God made possible in the lives of these two "rich young men" (see: camel passing through needle-eye).
...
Poverty as spiritual practice is only so because communion with God demands true justice. Wealth for some inevitably means poverty for others, and we cannot say we love God if we are indifferent to our brother. See also Matthew 25, and the Early Church fathers, on hoarding the possessions which rightfully belong to the poor.
Wealth indeed is spiritually dangerous, because it hardens our hearts and makes us forget. But the eyes of God are always on the poor, to rescue them and "keep them alive in famine."
I was so excited to see the title of this one. Money and relationship to it is a big struggle in our life (mostly my provider husband, not to throw him under the bus). There was a lot of good stuff here! I will be reading the first part out loud with him for sure - it contains a lot of the answers to questions we grapple with on a daily basis. But I will be honest and say, so that maybe I’ll find what im looking for in the future, that as I read on I was waiting for a little more from our perspective. So many church articles about money seem to be from the perspective of the “poor” being the other people; how to manage money or which charities to donate to are not the things we wonder about at all. We’re in survival mode financially. The finer things are not a temptation at all- we couldn’t care less- we just want to be able to provide a stable life for our kids which takes resources. The struggle is not temptation to wealth but temptation to anger and bitterness that people around us (even in church) make a few phone calls at their desk and bring home millions, while my husband wakes up in the dark and toils in the sun and heat 6-7 days a week to make two ends barely meet. We talk about God’s will - that as long as we are pursuing it, our lack of financial resources won’t stop our kids from reaching their God given potentials. I believe that, but my husband feels guilty that he can’t provide our kids with more opportunities (Catholic pilgrimages, Catholic college, tutors, sports, the arts, etc) because we aren’t rich and weren’t handed any inheritance or wealth. We do our very best creatively on one income to homeschool, and work SUPER hard, and I believe God can take our loaves and fish and make it enough for his plan for our kids. But man it’s tough for a husband and father not to notice the others who seem to be so comfortable and providing so much more with ease, while the perils of being rich is rarely talked about at church. Thanks for this article- it does give us a lot to reflect on!
The manosphere article by David French was excellent; thank you for linking it!
Thank you again, I have come to appreciate your writing (and Visitation Sessions)sooo much jn the past year. Please pray for my families credit card debt, so ugly from my immaturity! And please pray for our school and community as we continue to seek true catholicity and our particular involvement. I have been sending my prayers for your family in my rosaries this week and will continue to do so. God Bless and I look forward to the snippets you share
I'll pray that your trip goes well for you and everyone with you. And thanks for the Merit Minimalist link. I've been looking for something like that. I think Bone might do it. Blessings!