It's Not about the Money

One of my favorite podcasts is called Abiding Together, featuring Sr. Miriam James, SOLT, Michelle Benzinger, and Heather Khym. In one of the most recent episodes, one of the women said something that stuck with me:

Poverty is not a handicap but a grace.

I thought that this was a really bold statement, especially given the desire to avoid rather than embrace poverty. I count myself among the people who turn the other way and double check locks on car doors when seeing people on the corner with cardboard signs asking for money. I have looked at people who smell as if they haven't bathed in days and wondered "Why can't they pull themselves together?" I have swiped one too many credit cards at my favorite stores. These moments are moments of regret, but they are also moments where I ask for forgiveness for myself and mercy for the poor.

We turn our noses to poverty. And if we don't turn our noses, how many of us can truly say that we embrace those who live in poverty? And do we see poverty as a grace? While I don't think I'm all there yet, I do know people who strive to be.

I heard recently that the virtues of poverty, obedience, and chastity are tied together. I thought that was an interesting comment. I could easily see how chastity and obedience are linked and even how obedience and poverty walk side by side, but I struggled with chastity and poverty being tied together. The person who shared this sentiment with me explained it further: The reasoning was that chastity entails trust and faith in her spouse to be her helpmate and provide for her. If her spouse cannot provide what she wants, she surrenders the acquisition of that item. And in that respect, she is embracing poverty, but she is not in need. Rather she realizes that having less frees her to appreciate what she already has and examine what she values most.

This is an incredibly radical way of thinking that may be seen as weak and maybe even lazy or unambitious, but when I look around at how materialistic and money-driven our culture can be, it becomes more and more attractive. On the other hand, look at the success of Marie Kondo, and you have to wonder if maybe the pendulum is swinging towards having less. It leads us to realize that we aren't (or shouldn't be) ruled by wealth or our possessions. Rather, we should be building up virtue, character, something that will last longer than the newest trend or market activity.

With that said, I'm not so naive to believe that we can live without any money or possessions, but what I am saying is that life isn't all about money. Careers aren't all about money, and life isn't all about careers. Nobody will be on their deathbeds regretting the sizes of their bank accounts and retirement funds, so why do we spend so much time obsessing about it now?

This brings me back to the quote I referenced before: Poverty is not a handicap but a grace. It isn't about the money. It isn't about what we lose but what we gain. Once we realize that we can live without what we want, we realize that in may ways we already have what we need - in abundance. That realization brings peace, and it leads us to the understanding that if we are to build something up, it shouldn't be our net worth. It should be something that will last way longer than that.