On Poverty IV: Change

I recently read this passage from Benedict XVI’s book Jesus of Nazareth (I have a lot of time to read):

“The poor, in their humility, are the ones closest to God’s heart, whereas the opposite is true of the arrogant pride of the rich, who rely only on themselves” (p. 75).

I think we’re afraid to change sometimes because we fear we’ll lose what makes us special. Additionally, I fear losing control. This assignment has been a great challenge to me precisely because I have no control—I often feel like a baby, totally dependent on Fr. Francis, and ultimately God, for my day-to-day needs to be met. And that irks me. Africa has further exposed streaks of underlying arrogance and my longtime compulsion to rely on myself. I think I held on to this “self-made made” model more or less through these two years of seminary, but here in Africa no one makes themselves. That’s a grand myth. Everyone here is intertwined with everyone else. Companionship trumps competition. And for me, that requires personal change.

Another quote, to shift gears:
“The setting in which Luke frames the Sermon on the Mount clarifies to whom the Beatitudes are addressed: ‘He lifted up his eyes on his disciples.’ The individual Beatitudes are the fruit of this looking upon the disciples; they describe what might be called the actual condition of Jesus’ disciples: They are poor, hungry, weeping men; they are hated and persecuted” (p. 71).

The toilers, the indigent, and the vulnerable surround me here in Makeni. They are the same breed who Christ calls to Himself. I continually try to keep myself from falling into false guilt over the possessions that I do have. How do I use my possessions for the poor? Which possessions are truly roadblocks that I gloss over, not willing to be discomforted? I have been able to type up numerous documents for the priests and some parishioners because “I type so fast”—all thanks to Mom’s early urging to learn the keyboard and a program called Mario Teaches Typing. The youth here don’t grow up with computers. The adults who do learn type like my Dad: the ‘ol two-fingers pounding along, looking for the right letter. I could have thrown out the computer early in my trip to be in “solidarity” with the poor, but perhaps God has given me this skill for a reason and to bury that talent would be counter to His plan.

Change demands a humble, poor spirit. I’m still learning…let’s continue helping each other along this road.

-Bob
written 06/26/11