“Riches I heed not nor man’s empty praise, Thou mine inheritance all of my days.”[1]

“Store up treasures in heaven.” Matthew 6:20

“Be always naked in imitation of Christ.” The Rule of Columcille

The first followers of The Way were rich in Spirit, and so they could afford to be poor in worldly terms.  They took seriously the Call to give up all things for the surpassing greatness of knowing the depth of the riches of God. The Celts were no exception. For those who committed their lives to Christ there was nothing more important than poverty. Not just a poverty of spirit, but a poverty of living.  According to Ian Bradley, “The Irish monastic rule emphasized poverty more than chastity or obedience.”[2] 

Perhaps we are surprised by this, but we shouldn’t be.  Living in the luxury of western affluence and opulence, we’ve come to subscribe to a prosperity gospel, in which we are led to believe that the proof of being truly blessed is having an abundance of everything we could ever want.  We are under the mistaken belief that God wants us to be successful, rich, and comfortable.  The most popular evangelists, who themselves live in luxury, proclaim this message.  Consider how different the following message is from the ancient Celtic Evangelist Pelagius:

“In what manner are we to imitate Christ?  In poverty, if I am not mistaken, not in riches; in humility, not in pride; not in worldly glory; by despising money, not coveting it. And what are the commandments of the new covenant that we are to keep?  First and foremost, those by which the occasion of sin is to be removed through contempt of riches. That is why you will find that the Lord gave no commandment to those who desire to follow him and to offer themselves as his disciples which was of higher priority than to despise riches and that which was of the world.”[3]

Wow! When was the last time you heard a sermon like this? When was the last time you thought of “sin” in terms of having too much money, too nice of a house, or too much money in the bank or your investment portfolio? Yet it is consistent with the message of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels.  Seldom, if ever, do we hear Jesus speaking of the “hot sins” that pastors, the church, and many Christians like to focus on—like sexual sins for example.  And yet he repeatedly warns of the sin of wealth, greed, and gluttony. The followers of Jesus took this seriously.  One of the most familiar examples is that of St. Francis, and his “relationship” with poverty.  Following is an excerpt of a prayer that personifies Lady Poverty. 

“If I am truly poor, then I am dependent upon others for everything, and I feel useless and worthless, and I realize deep within that everything is a gift from the Father.  Then in this attitude of complete dependence, I become useful again, for then I am empty of selfishness, and I am free to be God’s instrument instead of my own. In poverty I begin to value everything rightly again. I see how little really matters, and I see that only that which glorifies God really matters. I write these words in pain, Lady Poverty, for I have wept bitter tears because I was poor and had to beg from others, and I felt like a burden to other people and to God . . . and I have grown weary of Christ’s words not to worry about tomorrow.  But in his grace, I have surrendered to God’s grace and providence, and it has made me free.”[4]

That last sentence got me!  Somehow, I believe that the more stuff I have and the more money I make, the freer I will be.  But that’s simply not true. In fact, it enslaves me.  What about you?

What do you most value? Where are your treasures stored?

What does a vibrant and genuine faith life look like? And what part does poverty play in it?

How much time do you spend worrying about wealth?

What would you be willing to give up in exchange for the “pearl of great price”?

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[1] From “Be Thou My Vision”

[2] “The Celtic Way” p. 107

[3] IBID p.. 106

[4] From Celtic Daily Prayer, p. 71