Lady Poverty

St. Francis of Assisi loved Lady Poverty. St. Francis was the son of a rich merchant, so he lived a comfortable, pleasurable life when he was young, but, later on, he walked away from it all and embraced poverty instead. Today the followers of St. Francis, Mother Theresa's Missionaries of Charity, and the members of many other religious orders choose to possess nothing and spend their lives in the service of others.

Why would anyone trade an easy, fun life for discomfort and dependence upon God alone? The decision of people like St. Francis and Mother Theresa to live a life of poverty doesn't make any sense at all to a lot of people in today's world. The voices that pour into our minds from commercial TV, internet, radio, and press assure us that owning more things, having more fun, looking better, and escaping from the slightest discomfort will make us instantly healthy and happy. In reality, the opposite is true. When I do jail ministry I meet people who thought that having expensive cars, houses, clothing, or jewelry, and escaping from every pain would bring them happiness. When they chose a lifestyle they couldn't afford, however, they ended up losing everything, including their physical freedom. Sometime before their release these people have to learn to keep their desire for possessions and pleasure under control or they will be back again.

"Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, O Lord," wrote St. Augustine over sixteen centuries ago. St. Augustine pursued illegitimate pleasures in his own life until he found something better. The human spirit, made in the image and likeness of God, can never be satisfied with mere pleasure and possessions. Impressionable little children can easily be led to believe that having more and better toys, consuming quantities of fun food, or doing exciting things will lead to happiness and contentment. The opposite is true. Too many toys make rooms so messy that everything quickly gets lost or broken. Eating too much snack food leads to sticky floors coated with crumbs and susceptibility to viral infections Too much excitement produces whiney children with a marked distaste for anything that looks like work.

Pleasure and possessions can be used well, but if they are allowed into the soul, they fill the human spirit with nothingness, rather like the air puffed packing material that keeps package contents from rattling. It's only when we get the emptiness out of our souls that the desire for worthwhile living can come in to fill us.

St. Francis, lover of Lady Poverty, gave us the idea of the nativity scene to imprint upon our minds the timeless image of the poor and humble Christ Child, King of Kings, born in a stable. During this Christmas season let's fill our souls and the souls of our children with prayer and service to others. Then we will be happy.

What do you think? What are your experiences? Do you have questions about this article? Please contact me at newskill7@msn.com. Happy teaching.

Mary Sue Laing, M.Ed.
Resource Teacher, St. Ambrose School

by Mary Sue Laing, M. Ed., New Skill, Inc. Academic Tutor