For quite a while now I have been searching for more direction as to how to live voluntary poverty in the midst of a society immersed in consumerism and individualism in which I found myself being an active and exemplary participant for many years. I have read Sacred Scriptures and the saints’ writings, but I have often been left with the question as to how to apply these principles to the twenty-first century. What does it mean to live simply? Are we to live in destitution? How can we “give everything up” when we have a family to care for? How can one be frugal in clothing, for instance, if our jobs require a certain dress code? What forms of leisure are permissible if we are to live in voluntary poverty? These are just some of the questions one faces when making the decision to live a simple life, but the answers seem to just complicate the matter even further instead of aiding us to live simply.
Michael was my little messenger from God when he showed me the following book as we were browsing through the Catholic bookstore. This is the book that I have been praying for months. This wonderful book was written by Fr. Thomas Dubay on Gospel poverty and how to interpret it and live it. The title of his work is Happy are you Poor—The Simple Life and Spiritual Freedom. I have found it life-changing and have almost finished the 170-page book in two days. It is an easy read and sometimes you need to put it down to ponder how his words affect your current decisions in life.
Fr. Dubay focuses on interpreting the passages in Sacred Scriptures that deal with gospel poverty in light of the lives of the saints and tradition. He does not sugar-coat any of the passages and he is quite harsh when it comes down to some of the frivolous decisions all of us make in our lives. He is also very critical of the watered-down interpretations of the Gospel that seek to justify the superfluous lifestyles of Christians today. Many times he warns the reader to stop reading the book if he or she finds some of the truths he brings out from the Gospel hard to swallow and invites them to immerse in serious prayer. He questions lifestyles and decisions we all make and as we know, most of us do not like it when our lifestyles are questioned and we can become very defensive. I know that a couple of years ago I could not have read this book and would have considered Fr. Dubay a literalist.
I will be writing extensively on this book, because it has affected the very core of my understanding of my own life as a Christian. I have not read anything new in the book, but as you read it you may also find that he brings more clarity to the many questions we all have as we decide to follow the Lord in this radical way. One of my favorite parts of the book is chapter five where he points what Gospel poverty is not. Here are excerpts from Fr. Dubay’s book on what Gospel poverty is not:
Carelessness, disorder, laziness, or dirt: […] We may then easily assume that a lack of efficiency or tidiness is somehow bound up with the ideal of frugality […] There is no basis in the New Testament for this connection. Destitution: By destitution we mean here the lack of basic necessities for a decent human life. Rather than promote the idea of destitution, the Gospel requires that we share with the needy, that we rub it out wherever it exists. Miserliness: Avarice is a vice, not a virtue. Miserliness is actually opposed to evangelical frugality. The miser loves money so much that he is reluctant to part with it either for his own or others’ benefits. The frugal person has no love for money. Economy: Economy is a careful use of money and material goods, and as I take it here, it is a quality, not a defect. While it is often allied with a factually frugal style of living, economy is not identical with the Gospel ideal […] An expensive, heavy car may last as long as two small ones, and thus be more “economical”, but it does not follow that people with a vow of poverty ought to buy the former. Detachment (merely): There is no doubt that detachment, inner freedom, unclutteredness are conditions for complete love of God and neighbor […] Yet for all this, it remains true that the New Testament is not content with a spirit of poverty. Availability of person, talent, time: […] In this concept a person is poor when he gives to others his person, his talents, his time. While this self-donation is no doubt praiseworthy, solving problems by changing definitions is hardly an honorable procedure […] A mere reading of the New Testament rapidly shows that when revelation speaks of poverty, it is speaking of material goods, not personal availability. Insensitivity to beauty or health: Scripture nowhere advises us to be careless regarding health. True enough, there is no support either for pampering one’s body. We are to carry our cross daily, but this does not imply that we abuse the health God has given us. Respectful use of creation: Supposing that a Christian should be sensitive to created beauty, some conclude that the Gospel idea of poverty is adequately met when we use God’s gifts in a sober, respectful manner […] Given the dire straits of the third and fourth worlds, given the fact of our native self-centeredness, and given our proclivity to cling to what we use and to use more than we need, what are sobriety and respect? The most selfish people can easily convince themselves that their use is “sober and respectful.” Amorphous sentimentalism: Wealthy societies do not lack people who can speak eloquently about the third and fourth worlds, who call emphatically for “consciousness raising” about the dire destitution among vast populations and yet who seem to see no incompatibility between their speech and their own way of life […] Talking about the needy and yet not sharing with them betrays a dead faith (Jas 2:14-17)
Great post.
I grew up in a frugal household – it is how we survived financially.
But my Mom grew up in poverty – although she would most often describe her childhood as filled with God, family, lots of love and lots of hard work .
She grew up with the belief that it was “OK to be poor but it was not OK to be dirty”
I think about this even today.
Keeping body and home clean is so easy today compared to the past….especially if you have some nice modern amenities to help (indoor plumbing, electricity, washing machine, dishwasher, running water, hot water, dryer, self cleaning oven, garbage disposal)
Anyway, you made me think, remember, appreciate and redefine some of my current paths.
Thank you.
God bless.
Katerina,
Good post. My friend Emily has read the book and gave a presentation about it to our discussion group. I got a lot out of it and started making some changes at the store (though my bank account suggests I could stand to make a lot more!). I look forward to your future posts on the book.
[...] For more on what Fr. Dubay means when he talks about these points, go here. [...]
Hi Katerina,
Good topic. So often people get caught up in a spirit-deadening cycle of chasing after things that rust and fade, and their subsequent payments. Instead of owning the things, the things end up owning them. One thing that really gets to me is young people who are preoccupied with retirement plans, and not ‘living’ in the meantime.
Some practical principles worth considering: good debt, bad debt. Home ownership, for example, is good debt. Student Loans are good debt. Credit cards, bad debt.
Tithing and almsgiving. Giving 10% of your gross income as a matter of principle is a very helpful spiritual discipline… especially when it’s hard. It is amazing to enter into real dependency on the Lord to provide what you need. Almsgiving is what you give away above and beyond your tithe–scripture says this ‘atones for sins’. I do not like to give this to beggars on the streets however, as it may be funneled into the drug market–I prefer to give this to bona fide charities. (In St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises, there are some rules about almsgiving, based on some tradition about Joachim and Ann. I doubt I’ll ever manage to make their standard, but it’s worth aiming at!)
Regarding the clothes thing: since I left behind a paycheck that included a budget for professional clothes, I have re-discovered a joyful shopping experience I once left behind: second hand stores! I live in a very expensive city, but it also has a terrific commitment to charity. Thus, there are clusters of second-hand stores with great clothes from stores I would never normally be able to shop in. Banana Republic Jeans for $6; Brand new Levis with tags on, $7. A gorgeous fall jacket, $7. And I can also give my clothes to these charities when I no longer wear them. (These charities will even drop a bag off at your house and pick it up when it’s full).
Here, also, there are some websites that people can put stuff like furniture on, that they are willing to give away if someone is able to haul it away.
Other thoughts: use public transportation if it’s available. If you must have a car, is there a way to manage having it without a car payment? Sometimes, older cars are perfectly sound. On the other hand, there are also situations where they will nickel and dime one to death, and it’s just as well to have a better car that is more dependable. I once had an old Honda with no payment that got 50 mpg when it had a tailwind! : )
Hi Katerina — Thanks for this post. I will check out the book, and look forward to more of your thoughtful explication of it. In 21st century America, this is just flat out THE most important challenge we face for many reasons….
Great practical points from Carole in the above comment. The one thing that I would add is the importance of community — I just know I’m not strong enough to manage this on my own. So its crucial to be with people who will encourage me on this….
Both the biggest opportunity and challenge of course begins with family. My spouse and I are working on this, but frankly we are fighting the rest of our family on this so much of the time. We win some, but wind up compromised a lot too. (How about the sick fact that Christmas is marked by an absolute orgy of soul-deadening consumption!) And then there’s the pressure we get from our kids from the commodified youth culture they get from school and friends…..
Beyond that, we’re always looking to surround ourselves with friends who will challenge us in this direction, or at least to keep us from backsliding. We have an informal agreement that we will justify any major run past any major purchases with each other — a way of keeping us honest. We need more of that.
Along those lines, perhaps you’ve heard off the The Compact movement — folks who take a formal public pledge and support each other in opting out of consumer culture. A blog about this: http://sfcompact.blogspot.com/
Of course, church ought to the mainstay in this commitment. And sometimes it has been, but alas, sometimes its been the opposite…..
Prince L.,
Thank you for the blog suggestion! That sounds pretty neat.
I like Carole’s suggestions about second-hand clothing and I will be writing a lot from what you describe about tensions within families due to consumerism!
I know… the Christmas season can sometimes be a burden, because you feel pressured to buy all these things and that is just quite sad.
This wonderful book is only one of many spiritual treasures written by Fr. Dubay. I highly reccomend also Fire Within, Prayer Primer, and Deep Conversion/Deep Prayer!
[...] we do not seek poverty as an end in itself. That is not how the saints understood Gospel poverty. Rather, as Christians we seek to be as close to God, our loved one, as possible. And so we [...]
[...] we do not seek poverty as an end in itself. That is not how the saints understood Gospel poverty. Rather, as Christians we seek to be as close to God, our loved one, as possible. And so we [...]
What does [...] mean? I want to read the rest.
I am confused. According to the bible (as you say we should be poor) why does the Pope eat three meals a day and has clothes on. From what I understand (as you say) the Pope is going against “the Church” (as you say) because he lives very good. From my point of view: As the bishop of my diocese said, “Every time I go to dinner I put 10% of what I spent in a jar I keep in my pantry for the poor. Also I keep in my pantry two or three bags that I fill up with canned goods to bring to charity.”
With that being said I dont believe what is being discussed in this website. Ignoring a poor soul in need is another story.
I just found your wonderful blog and am enjoying reading your posts. I have been interested in the sharing sparing lifestyle for quite some time now, and have decided to make 2011 my new beginning in really living out my faith and my beliefs about gospel poverty and simple Christian living.
I enjoy reading books by and about saints, especially those who practice simple living, which is most of them! I’ve read St. Therese, Teresa of Avila, St. Francis of Assisi, etc. I’ve recently read Happy Are You Poor. I’m curious…. what books have you found to be most helpful to you in your quest for a more simple Catholic life? I’m hungry for more reading material!!!
Thanks!
Kim