Chapter

  1 Int  |      religious people today: vote of poverty or of a good middle-class?
  2 Int  |          middle-class? To talk about poverty is a fashion or a need?~
  3 Int  |            socio-economic concept of poverty has been broaden; and not
  4 Int  |              that the meaning of our poverty is not, above all, socio-economic,
  5 1    |         religious men today: vote of poverty or of a good middle-class?
  6 1    |          middle-class? To talk about poverty is a fashion or a need?~ ~
  7 1    |         history: the appreciation of poverty and the poor has been the
  8 1    |             a superior, but external poverty: from shod they have become
  9 1    |            the sexual issue, but the poverty one!). All this means that
 10 1    |              and the experiencing of poverty. ~ ~In effect, contradictions
 11 1    |              a week of debates about poverty, the meeting closed with
 12 1    |             finish the discussion on poverty, what are we going to pretend
 13 1    |            publish another one about poverty. And the reason we was giving
 14 1    |            courage can we talk about poverty, when what among us would
 15 1    |    considered today as almost heroic poverty, to millions of human beings
 16 1    |            or less interesting about poverty, but we have remained in
 17 1    |        instance) to talk to us about poverty of their co-citizens and
 18 2    |            socio-economic concept of poverty has been broaden; and not
 19 2    |             and a positive one about poverty with respect to human reality.
 20 2    |              always unworthy of man. Poverty, instead, can in fact help
 21 2    |              when it is talked about poverty, we tend to think automatically
 22 2    |             present human reality of poverty is much wider and articulated.
 23 2    |              articulated. In effect, poverty – as we will now see – has
 24 2    | socio-economic aspect.  ~ ~ Economic poverty, actually, or lack of material
 25 2    |          survival. This is a primary poverty, a basic one. There is poverty,
 26 2    |       poverty, a basic one. There is poverty, even when there are goods,
 27 2    |            about “relative” economic poverty, not when goods are not
 28 2    |          people sometimes talk about poverty or restrictions simply when
 29 2    |             are other types of human poverty not less profound. For example,
 30 2    |     humiliating, unworthy. It is the poverty of the physically sick person,
 31 2    |               people with Aids…; the poverty of the uncultured or illiterate:
 32 2    |         nomad, the beggar. Also, the poverty of that one who does not
 33 2    |      justified”. And in general, the poverty of that one who feels abandoned,
 34 2    |      problems, one’s grieves 7 . The poverty even of “the opulent poor”,
 35 2    |               VC 63b).  ~ ~ Negative poverty is consequently quite a
 36 2    |            we were saying that human poverty can also be a source of
 37 2    |        things and with other people, poverty means helping man to keep
 38 2    |        important to be than to have. Poverty as liberation of being:
 39 2    |             welcome God. Summing up, poverty as freedom and liberation.  ~ ~ ~
 40 2    |             good dispenser” (RD 5c). Poverty as solidarity, sharing,
 41 2    |           when giving from one’s own poverty, one receives! (as it used
 42 2    |             happiness. Consequently, poverty as love, humanization, fraternity,
 43 2    |           fraternity, solidarity. ~ ~Poverty means, so, to accept oneself,
 44 2    |        always greater plenitude. So, poverty as simplicity of life, openness,
 45 2    |             life.~ ~Thus understood, poverty appears as a human virtue
 46 2    |             lover, not exploiter. ~ ~Poverty that brings to gratuity,
 47 2    |         supernatural. ~ ~Summing up, poverty becomes something positive
 48 2    |             say. Human and Christian poverty are not the same; but that
 49 2(10)|             material: We do not love poverty, the fact of not having,
 50 3    |              that the meaning of our poverty is not, above all, socio-economic,
 51 3    |             meaning, the root of our poverty. And, to this respect, let’
 52 3    |        respect, let’s not impoverish poverty reducing it only to a matter
 53 3    |         aspects of my life. But, the poverty revealed by Christ and in
 54 3    |           about the human reality of poverty we discover that it has
 55 3    |         materialist one of religious poverty to the one that really belongs
 56 3    |              elements; in this case, poverty. ~ ~ Within an accomplished
 57 3    |       apostolic meaning of Christian poverty of the religious person.
 58 3    |          consequences.  ~Evangelical poverty – says the Exhortation –
 59 3    |             person:~ ~“imitating the poverty of Christ (Christological
 60 3    |           prophetical meaning of our poverty. Actually, in front of a
 61 3    |            problem)” (VC 89a),~ ~our poverty appears as a charisma of
 62 3    |        should see the meaning of our poverty within the context of Christian
 63 3    |             the context of Christian poverty in general; and this is
 64 3    |     completion in the history of the poverty of Christ (cf. Col 1,24) 11.~ ~
 65 3    |              when we think about the poverty of Christ we tend to simply
 66 3    |              something –in this case poverty – do have a value, though
 67 3    |           meaning at the root of his poverty should instead be sought
 68 3    |        reason and the meaning of his poverty, we found it explained in
 69 3    |          became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (
 70 3    |              8).~ ~ ~The fundamental poverty of Christ, which is at the
 71 3    |            In fact, this fundamental poverty consists in the voluntary
 72 3(11)|          directly about the issue of poverty, without taking into account
 73 3(11)|              more about richness and poverty than any other issue, comprising
 74 3(11)|             40 to celibacy and 76 to poverty! ~
 75 3    |              means: subjected to the poverty of physical pain, of the
 76 3    |              death; subjected to the poverty of psychic pain and of incomprehension,
 77 3    |               of calumny, of insult… Poverty that means renouncement
 78 3    |           external manifestations of poverty, appears His bottom poverty:
 79 3    |          poverty, appears His bottom poverty: he became like us, to make
 80 3    |             process is: the external poverty as a consequence (effect)
 81 3    |       founding reason/meaning of the poverty of Christ, and consequently,
 82 3    |          salvation are a mystery of “poverty”, namely, of a thorough
 83 3    |            everything and everybody (poverty), beginning with His natural
 84 3    |           the highest moment of this poverty, reacting with the greatest
 85 3    |              without goods (material poverty), without dignity or recognized
 86 3    |         rights (political and social poverty), oppressed by the political
 87 3    |             And in this situation of poverty, uprooting, and total solitude,
 88 3    |        powerful groups… His external poverty will only be a inevitable
 89 3    |              Lk 23,56)… His external poverty, thus, it is not an end
 90 3    |            Jh 10,117-18; 15,13). His poverty is not, above all, “ a renouncement
 91 3    |           the meaning of evangelical poverty in us? It has to be in any
 92 3    |            the other:~ ~1)  Firstly, poverty is an internal reality,
 93 3    |            quoted before – a life of poverty that: ~  ~ ~“… confesses
 94 3    |           the CL:~ ~“… imitating his poverty (that one of Christ), confesses
 95 3    |             real “Christian” root of poverty. To us, God/Christ is the
 96 3    |          poor” of each disciple, the poverty that is requested to all
 97 3    |                Secondly, evangelical poverty is availability in favor
 98 3    |          service; likewise, external poverty will be a consequence of
 99 3    |     family-celibacy, goods: material poverty and autonomy: obedience)
100 3    |             Father and the brothers. Poverty, so, as a donation, as charity
101 3    |            away all I have (material poverty, as many Greek philosophers
102 3    |             his/her things (external poverty), his/her prayers, his/her
103 3    |             lack against evangelical poverty, because it means that he/
104 3    |              That is why evangelical poverty also involves, obviously!,
105 3    |             it, but let’s repeat it: poverty means sharing the goods.
106 3    |     Jerusalem, paradigm of Christian poverty, was not the lack of goods,
107 3    |        manifestations of evangelical poverty.  ~ ~ With respect to external
108 3    |             With respect to external poverty, this one becomes secondary
109 3    |       important part is the internal poverty; unavoidable because man
110 3    |              and believable internal poverty. This is why, notwithstanding
111 3    |             internal and theological poverty. When one is poor, one cannot
112 4    |            the way of living today’s poverty. The reason lies on the
113 4    |     contradictory situation in which poverty is often found – especially
114 4    |         problem is how to prepare to poverty today. There is the risk
115 4    |          before, and with a vote for poverty (cf. PO 9a, RPU 23-24, PI
116 4    |            the spirit of evangelical poverty should not be confused with
117 4    |            us today, with respect to poverty. We cannot cheat the world.