Mr. Peasant On The Franciscan Spirit Of Voluntary Poverty

Francis of Assisi, 1590. Annibale Carracci 

My dear and beloved Brother, the treasure of blessed poverty is so very precious and divine that we are not worthy to possess it in our vile bodies. For poverty is that heavenly virtue by which all earthy and transitory things are trodden under foot, and by which every obstacle is removed from the soul so that it may freely enter into union with the eternal Lord God. It is also the virtue which makes the soul, while still here on earth, converse with the angels in Heaven. It is she who accompanied Christ on the Cross, was buried with Christ in the Tomb, and with Christ was raised and ascended into Heaven, for even in this life she gives to souls who love her the ability to fly to Heaven, and she alone guards the armor of true humility and charity.

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI

I do not know the number of Franciscan religious orders in the Roman Catholic Church. Though they all agree on the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the differences are in the particulars. How poor should one be? Can you own books or a second pair of sandals?

I care more about the spirit of poverty than any hard definition of what that should look like. For me, voluntary poverty means dispensing with unnecessary things and worldly vanities. It means holding my possessions with a loose grasp. It means knowing the truth that money doesn't buy happiness.

I was already on the journey towards minimalism and simple living before my conversion to Catholicism. After my conversion, I embraced the Franciscan mindset. This may be because of Mother Angelica and Padre Pio. I am very attracted to the humility and simplicity of the Franciscan orders. This is the tau cross I wear daily:

The cross reminds me to be humble, modest, and non-materialistic in my life. Before I buy anything, I ask myself if it is necessary. This practice means I buy very little. I use the acronym FCST (forecast) to clarify what I think is necessary:

F-Food

C-Clothing

S-Shelter

T-Transportation

Beyond these four things, I need very little. Then, I distinguish between present needs and future needs. I save for future needs. If you live this way, you will find yourself deprived of nothing needful while saving a lot of money in the process. It also allows you to be generous and charitable to the truly needy.

For everyone else in the world, they live in pursuit of the 2 P's--Pleasures and Possessions. They believe in error that these things bring happiness. Consequently, they spend to the limit. They can't save money because it makes their hands itch. Unspent money represents an opportunity cost where they left happiness on the table. Their greatest fear is that someone else will spend that money and gain the happiness that rightfully belongs to them. The result is that these people have neither money for their needs nor happiness.

Voluntary poverty helps you escape this sick and self-destructive mindset. You hold material things in their proper place. People who know me laugh at my peculiar habits, and I laugh, too. I remember sending a picture to my friends, but they couldn't stop laughing at my flip phone that was caught in the reflection of the rear view mirror on the passenger side of the car. I don't need a smartphone, so I don't own one. They "need" these smartphones that virtually no one needed before 2007. The irony is that most people have no clue that I still use a flip phone.

Most "needs" come from some need for compliance with the herd. Voluntary poverty liberates me from these false needs. I have never kept up with the Joneses, and the Jones family has never envied the Peasants. They look at us with a mix of disbelief and horror. Because we are not spendy, they imagine us as miserable people.

Ludovico Carracci: The Vision of Saint Francis of Assisi. 1583

True happiness comes from knowing God and living by His commandments. I think of Saint Francis as a supremely happy man. When I meet Franciscans, they strike me as happy people. Look to the examples of Mother Angelica and Padre Pio. Those were happy folks.

I see the worldly folks as supremely unhappy. This is especially true when they can't pay their bills. In pursuing their wants, they cannot even meet their needs. God has provided, and they have squandered.

I tell Mrs. Peasant that my gift from God has not been a material thing but my indifference to material things. There will always be a material dimension and considerations for life in this world, but it should never come at the expense of the spiritual dimension and considerations. One day, I will be deprived of everything I own when I go to my particular judgment. I pray that I am rich in the spiritual sense when that day comes.

Thank you for reading! Saint Francis, pray for us. 

Anton van Dyck - Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy, 1627.