The mystic saint I have been following notes that Christ did penance for us His entire life. He also took on the contempt of the world. Perhaps, the most difficult things about poverty and suffering is the resulting contempt brought upon one from others who stand back and judge.
Some people are afraid they will slip into poverty themselves, especially in this day of financial insecurity. To be afraid of falling off the edge is an understandable fear. But, as God is in charge of all happenings in our lives, either through His Perfect Will or through His Permissive Will, poverty is willed by God. He may not will suffering which is caused by the greed and selfishness of others, but He allows some to experience this purgation of poverty for the cause of perfection.
St. Angela writes of three levels of poverty in Christ's life, freely chosen, freely willed by Him. The first level is that of complete material poverty. As the saint notes, Christ did not own a vineyard, land, silver, gold or other things. He allowed Himself to feel thirst and hunger. He did not eat delicate or gourmet food. His clothes were the rough clothes of a working man, a carpenter.
When Christ went into His public vocation, He left His house and all His furniture, His few belongings, and became peripatetic. Matthew 8:20, "And Jesus saith to him: The foxes have holes and the birds of the air nests: but the son of man hath no where to lay his head."
This is not a romantic way to live, but one of fatigue and stress.
The second level of poverty, according to St. Angela, was that Christ deprived Himself of excellent company. He did not engage in stimulating conversations over wine and cheese with close friends, with idea men or with the powerful. Although The King, He did not converse with kings.
His chosen apostles, as we see clearly, were not the creme de la creme of society. Some seem downright stupid, or at least, dense.
This second type of poverty may be one of the worst for some to endue. He did not even allow Himself, as the mystic points out, the comfort of His Foster Father, who died before Christ's public life. There was no one to discuss His apostolate with among His companions. Christ was not understood or accepted by His relations, as we see in the Scriptures. Only His Mother was close to Him in thought and word, and for three years, Christ denied Himself her wonderful, holy, blessed company.
I shall write about the third level of poverty later.
This information should be meditated upon and contemplated.
to be continued...
