Truest Poverty

A quote from Catherine:

The truest poverty consists in seeing that our wants are
scantily supplied and rejoicing in the scantiness.

Right now I would have to say, I do not live this way. I have, though. I recall living by myself and trying to be very careful of every thing I had, what I ate and how I spent any money I had. I also kept the thermostat low and seldom used the air conditioner. I cannot expect to do the same when living with three other people who have health and dietary needs that are different from my own.
I try to compromise and still try to have a careful way of living. I know I shall do it again and that it is the way of so many people to have so little.

Yet, I have the luxury of a cell phone, a laptop, a car and a large size home in which I live. It is not poverty and yet these are only tools to do the current ministry that I have. What will be in store the next ministry has yet to be revealed.

On the whole I think I still need to simplify and downsize. What about you? Can you rejoice in the scantiness, taking on the example of our Lord who had so little or our early Sisters who were mostly in debt and had very little in way of comforts in their various ministries? Have we become too soft, too needy of creature comforts that we lose sight of what it means to live simply and in poverty?

Some questions to ponder today...

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