If poverty is the key to spiritual wealth then why talk about ending poverty?
Get rid of that “material stuff”. Get poor! You have no faith if you don’t give away your “riches”, Pope Francis seems to be saying.
But that isn’t communism, he says. But other words imply that’s the “new” Catholicism.
The following article from Catholic News Service, a subsidiary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, regarding a recent homily by Pope Francis is set forth in its entirety for political analysis as a protected free speech exercise. Our initial analysis follows.
Once they figure out the clear implications of his homily it will take a few days or longer for the Pope’s clean-up crew to explain how his words have different meanings, were lost in translation, whatever. In the meantime consider our comments in response. We look forward to more studied biblical authorities we presume will be forthcoming.
Pope Francis: Concern for poor is sign of Gospel, not red flag of communism
VATICAN CITY Focusing on poverty and sacrificing for the poor are the heart of the Gospel, not signs of communism, Pope Francis said at his morning Mass.
Furthermore, if Christians don’t dig deep and generously open up their wallets, they do not have “genuine faith,” the pope said Tuesday during the Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.
He said people often hear, “Oh, this priest speaks about poverty too much, this bishop talks about poverty, this Christian, this sister talk about poverty. Well, they’re a bit communist, aren’t they?”
But “poverty is precisely at the heart of the Gospel. If we were to remove poverty from the Gospel, people would understand nothing about Jesus’ message,” he said, according to Vatican Radio.
Being fully Christian means being rich in spirit, faith, the Word, wisdom and zeal — things that Jesus has taught and offered all people, he said.
Make sure, however, that this huge amount of “wealth in the heart” also impacts the wallet, he said, because “when the faith doesn’t reach your pockets, it is not a genuine faith.”
Pope Francis said the “theology of poverty” is based on the fact that Jesus — in his divine richness — became poor; he lowered himself and sacrificed himself to save humanity.
The beatitude “Blessed are the poor in spirit” means
“letting oneself be enriched by the poverty of Christ and not wanting to be rich with those riches that are not from Christ,” he said.
Christian giving goes beyond plain charity, which is good, but isn’t the “Christian poverty” believers are called to embrace, he said. “Christian poverty is: I give to the poor what is mine, not the excess, but also what is necessary” for one’s own well-being.
Christians do this because they know that sacrificing in such a way enriches them, he said. “And why does the poor person enrich me? Because Jesus said that he himself is in the poor.”
When people strip themselves of the material, “Jesus works within” them and they are enriched; when people give to the poor, Jesus is also working in the poor, “in order to enrich me when I do this,” the pope said.
The clearest sign Jesus left of how giving enriches others, the pope said, is the gift of himself in the Eucharist. “He becomes ‘bread’ for us.”
That is why the “theology of poverty” is the heart of the Gospel and not “an ideology. It is precisely this mystery, the mystery of Christ who lowered himself, was humiliated, made himself poor in order to enrich us.”
We think the highlighted paragraphs fairly represent the confusing core of the Pope’s remarks. In the second highlighted paragraph Pope Francis sort of implies that he understands that the beatitude referred to (we presume from Matthew 5 ) is not about material wealth per se but then he goes on to speak as if it essentially is. The Pope implies that the way to demonstrate ones Christian spirit is to not only not be wealthy but to be as poor as the poorest. By the Pope’s lights, material poverty is the only way to demonstrate that one is not spiritually poor.
But is the Pope not calling for an end to material poverty? Presuming the Pope’s concern for spiritual well-being, doesn’t his emphasis on giving up all material accumulations to the poor (the more the better) make them wealthier — and to their detriment? Is this a call to go back to the stone age in order to achieve salvation? If not why not?
Traditional Christian interpretations of the first beatitude “blessed are the poor in spirit” are not in line with what seems to be the Pope’s largely, if not exclusively, materialistic interpretation. However, in these views being materially poor does not have an exclusive identity with spiritual wealth. These are consistent with what we were taught (under the tutelage of previous Popes), in our Catholic education.
From http://jesuschristsavior.net/Beatitudes.html ( Catholic perspective).
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Poor in spirit” means to be humble. Humility is the realization that all your gifts and blessings come from the grace of God. To have poverty of spirit means to be completely empty and open to the Word of God. When we are an empty cup and devoid of pride, we are humble. Humility brings an openness and an inner peace, allowing one to do the will of God. He who humbles himself is able to accept our frail nature, to repent, and to allow the grace of God to lead us to Conversion.
It is pride, the opposite of humility, that brings misery. For pride brings anger and the seeking of revenge, especially when one is offended. If every man were humble and poor in spirit, there would be no war!
From Catholic Answers the original Catholic Encyclopedia http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Beatitudes (bold emphasis ours)
First Beatitude.—The word “poor” seems to represent an Aramaic anya (Hebr. ani), bent down, afflicted, miserable, poor; while “meek” is rather a synonym from the same root, anwan (Hebr. Äòanaw), bending oneself down, humble, meek, gentle. Some scholars would attach to the former word also the sense of humility; others think of “beggars before God” humbly acknowledging their need of Divine help. But the opposition of “rich” (Luke, vi, 24) points especially to tile common and obvious meaning, which, however, ought not to be confined to economical need and distress, but may comprehend the whole of the painful condition of the poor: their low estate, their social dependence, their defenseless exposure to injustice from the rich and the mighty. Besides the Lord’s blessing, the promise of the heavenly kingdom is not bestowed on the actual external condition of such poverty. The blessed ones are the poor “in spirit”, who by their free will are ready to bear for God’s sake this painful and humble condition, even though at present they be actually rich and happy; while on the other hand, the really poor man may fall short of this poverty “in spirit”.
From Ignatius Answers: http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2005/mbrumley_beatitudes_feb05.asp
It’s possible, then, for people who aren’t poor in the financial sense to be “poor in spirit.” In fact, it’s required of Christians. We must all recognize our dependence on God for everything and treat our possessions (even our personal abilities and skills) with a certain indifference, as divine gifts, using them only in the way God intends.
The excerpt below is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. To our way of thinking it tells believers to not let wealth get in the way of one’s relationship to God. It is not an attack on systems of wealth creation and achievement. Pope Francis seems to advocate to give away everything so as to make oneself poor for now and forever.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a2.htm
1717 . . .they are the paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of tribulations . . .
1723 The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement – however beneficial it may be – such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love:
1729 The beatitude of heaven sets the standards for discernment in the use of earthly goods in keeping with the law of God.
The Pope will surely forgive this perhaps non-denominational interpretation
http://relijournal.com/christianity/the-beatitudes-explained/
God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him,
for the kingdom of heaven is given to them.
The word poor here means those who are poor IN SPIRIT. Jesus wasn’t talking about people being financially poor. To be poor in spirit means to recognize that we fall short of what God wants us to be. It means that we know we are unworthy to receive God’s grace. The poor in spirit see that without God we cannot be forgiven and made new.
We see an example of being poor in spirit in Luke 18:9-14. It is the story of a Pharisee who believed he was completely righteous and looked down on everybody else. The Pharisee stood up in the temple and thanked God that he was not a thief, a liar or a cheat like the tax collector who was also at the temple. He boasted to God that he fasts twice a week and always gives a tenth of his earnings to God. The tax collector stood at a distance, feeling unworthy to look up to heaven. The tax collector said, “God, please have mercy on me, for I am nothing but a sinner.” The Pharisee did not recognize his faults but the tax collector recognized his need for God and for forgiveness, and that is being poor in spirit.
Jesus says that only the poor in spirit will enter into the kingdom of God because they confess and turn to Jesus.
Economics is the branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth. Pope Francis continues to demonstrate profound ignorance of comparative economics and, if raising the material lot of the poor is his goal, the superior success in the real world of freer market-based capitalistic economies. Wide spread wealth distribution requires creation and accumulation. Wealth accumulation is a creative force and requires a stream of activity. It is the genius of market based economic systems. Capitalism is ethical and we would say a necessary condition for innovation and to achievw economies of scale necessary to efficiently raise the lot of all citizens of an economy and the world
Further the Popes chronic refusal to distinguish between the relative nature of “poverty” within nations and between nations is appalling . To give credit where credit is due. The plight of the poor in America and Europe is hardly the same as Africa or India.
What next, “Francisphones” for all?