As Lent draws near, I would like to offer some helpful thoughts on our path of conversion as individuals and as a community. These insights are inspired by the words of Saint Paul: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich" (2 Cor 8:9). The Apostle was writing to the Christians of Corinth to encourage them to be generous in helping the faithful in Jerusalem who were in need. What do these words of Saint Paul mean for us Christians today? What does this invitation to poverty, a life of evangelical poverty, mean for us today?

1. Christ’s grace

First of all, it shows us how God works. He does not reveal himself cloaked in worldly power and wealth but rather in weakness and poverty: "though He was rich, yet for your sake he became poor …". Christ, the eternal Son of God, one with the Father in power and glory, chose to be poor; he came amongst us and drew near to each of us; he set aside his glory and emptied himself so that he could be like us in all things (cf. Phil 2:7; Heb 4:15). God’s becoming man is a great mystery! But the reason for all this is his love, a love which is grace, generosity, a desire to draw near, a love which does not hesitate to offer itself in sacrifice for the beloved. Charity, love, is sharing with the one we love in all things. Love makes us similar, it creates equality, it breaks down walls and eliminates distances. God did this with us. Indeed, Jesus "worked with human hands, thought with a human mind, acted by human choice and loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, he truly became one of us, like us in all things except sin." (

Gaudium et Spes , 22). By making himself poor, Jesus did not seek poverty for its own sake but, as Saint Paul says "that by his poverty you might become rich". This is no mere play on words or a catch phrase. Rather, it sums up God’s logic, the logic of love, the logic of the incarnation and the cross. God did not let our salvation drop down from heaven, like someone who gives alms from their abundance out of a sense of altruism and piety. Christ’s love is different! When Jesus stepped into the waters of the Jordan and was baptized by John the Baptist, he did so not because he was in need of repentance, or conversion; he did it to

be among people who need forgiveness, among us sinners, and to take upon himself the burden of our sins. In this way he chose to comfort us, to save us, to free us from our misery. It is striking that the Apostle states that we were set free, not by Christ’s riches but by his poverty. Yet Saint Paul is well aware of the "the unsearchable riches of Christ" ( Eph 3:8), that he is "heir of all things" (Heb 1:2). So what is this poverty by which Christ frees us and enriches us? It is his way of loving us, his way of being our neighbour, just as the Good Samaritan was neighbour to the man left half dead by the side of the road (cf. Lk 10:25ff ). What gives us true freedom, true salvation and true happiness is the compassion, tenderness and solidarity of his love. Christ’s poverty which enriches us is his taking flesh and bearing our weaknesses and sins as an expression of God’s infinite mercy to us. Christ’s poverty is the greatest treasure of all: Jesus’ wealth is that of his boundless confidence in God the Father, his constant trust, his desire always and only to do the Father’s will and give glory to him. Jesus is rich in the same way as a child who feels loved and who loves its parents, without doubting their love and tenderness for an instant. Jesus’ wealth lies in his being the Son; his unique relationship with the Father is the sovereign prerogative of this Messiah who is poor. When Jesus asks us to take up his "yoke which is easy", he asks us to be enriched by his "poverty which is rich" and his "richness which is poor", to share his filial and fraternal Spirit, to become sons and daughters in the Son, brothers and sisters in the firstborn brother (cf. Rom 8:29).

It has been said that the only real regret lies in not being a saint (L. Bloy); we could also say that there is only one real kind of poverty: not living as children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ.

2. Our witness

We might think that this "way" of poverty was Jesus’ way, whereas we who come after him can save the world with the right kind of human resources. This is not the case. In every time and place God continues to save mankind and the world through the poverty of Christ, who makes himself poor in the sacraments, in his word and in his Church, which is a people of the poor. God’s wealth passes not through our wealth, but invariably and exclusively through our personal and communal poverty, enlivened by the Spirit of Christ.

In imitation of our Master, we Christians are called to confront the poverty of our brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own and to take practical steps to alleviate it. Destitution is not the same as poverty: destitution is poverty without faith, without support, without hope. There are three types of destitution: material, moral and spiritual. Material destitution is what is normally called poverty, and affects those living in conditions opposed to human dignity: those who lack basic rights and needs such as food, water, hygiene, work and the opportunity to develop and grow culturally. In response to this destitution, the Church offers her help, her diakonia, in meeting these needs and binding these wounds which disfigure the face of humanity. In the poor and outcast we see Christ’s face; by loving and helping the poor, we love and serve Christ. Our efforts are also directed to ending violations of human dignity, discrimination and abuse in the world, for these are so often the cause of destitution. When power, luxury and money become idols, they take priority over the need for a fair distribution of wealth. Our consciences thus need to be converted to justice, equality, simplicity and sharing.

No less a concern is moral destitution, which consists in slavery to vice and sin. How much pain is caused in families because one of their members – often a young person - is in thrall to alcohol, drugs, gambling or pornography! How many people no longer see meaning in life or prospects for the future, how many have lost hope! And how many are plunged into this destitution by unjust social conditions, by unemployment, which takes away their dignity as breadwinners, and by lack of equal access to education and health care. In such cases, moral destitution can be considered impending suicide. This type of destitution, which also causes financial ruin, is invariably linked to the spiritual destitution which we experience when we turn away from God and reject his love. If we think we don’t need God who reaches out to us through Christ, because we believe we can make do on our own, we are headed for a fall. God alone can truly save and free us.

The Gospel is the real antidote to spiritual destitution: wherever we go, we are called as Christians to proclaim the liberating news that forgiveness for sins committed is possible, that God is greater than our sinfulness, that he freely loves us at all times and that we were made for communion and eternal life. The Lord asks us to be joyous heralds of this message of mercy and hope! It is thrilling to experience the joy of spreading this good news, sharing the treasure entrusted to us, consoling broken hearts and offering hope to our brothers and sisters experiencing darkness. It means following and imitating Jesus, who sought out the poor and sinners as a shepherd lovingly seeks his lost sheep. In union with Jesus, we can courageously open up new paths of evangelization and human promotion.

Dear brothers and sisters, may this Lenten season find the whole Church ready to bear witness to all those who live in material, moral and spiritual

destitution the Gospel message of the merciful love of God our Father, who is ready to embrace everyone in Christ. We can do this to the extent that we imitate Christ who became poor and enriched us by his poverty. Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt. May the Holy Spirit, through whom we are "as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything" (2 Cor 6:10), sustain us in our resolutions and increase our concern and responsibility for human destitution, so that we can become merciful and act with mercy. In expressing this hope, I likewise pray that each individual member of the faithful and every Church community will undertake a fruitful Lenten journey. I ask all of you to pray for me. May the Lord bless you and Our Lady keep you safe.

His Holiness, Pope Francis

From the Vatican, 26 December 2013
Feast of Saint Stephen, Deacon and First Martyr

It all began in the month of October, 1843, one-hundred and seventy-one
years ago. He was a crusader for the poor and uneducated of his era. The decision
to write this “Ghostly little book” happened as Charles Dickens made his return
train ride from Manchester to London. The most read and famous book in the
world is the Bible. A Christmas Carol, 30,000 words long, can be compared to the
global popularity of the Bible. This writing is as popular today as it has been each
year for the past one-hundred and seventy-one years. With the passage of time
there is a greater demand to share in this writing than in the nineteenth century.
Why, despite the passage of a century and one-half does A Christmas Carol remain
so popular?
At the very beginning of the book, Charles Dickens answers this question
with the following hand written words: “I have endeavored in this Ghostly little
book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which will not put my readers out of humor
with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their
houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it (put it down). Their faithful friend and
servant. C.D.” To paraphrase Charles Dickens’ words A Christmas Carol is — “A
Ghostly little — story which — raises the Ghost of an Idea.” Dickens tells his
readers that this yuletide tale is more than an entertaining Christmas story. This
yuletide tale of a covetous old sinner who has lost touch with his humanity because
of his obsession with money contains a message for all of us. This message about
a conversion has moved generations of readers worldwide.
One reason for the attraction is that A Christmas Carol delivers a timeless
message of — a conversion based on Mercy and Hope. It is more than a
“Victorian Celebration.” It is a story about how each one of us can be converted
from a life motivated by obsessions with money, possessions, power, pleasure, etc.
It is a story about how we, like Scrooge, with the help of the supernatural, the
assistance of our friends, family, and loved ones can redeem ourselves.
It is amazing that in the midst of our abundance, contemporary men and
women are experiencing despair about their future and the future of their children?
One reason for this despair is the violence we see in our world. As a nation we
have been at war for ten continuous years. Yet, our despair is more than military
combat and terrorism. In addition to this violence is the disruption we experience
in our lives, such as, the sudden loss of jobs, income, homes, opportunities. This
loss has almost extinguished the spirit of hope and mercy in our lives. We are
becoming cynical and despairing. This chaos can eliminate the spirit of joy in our
lives.
Charles Dickens experienced this despair in his life, when his family was
suddenly forced to live in a poor house. We are reminded of Dickens’ family
experience when Ebenezer responds to a request for a charitable donation, “Have
we no poor houses!” The despair and cynicism of Scrooge is described in the
scene, when Ebenezer responds to his nephew’s praise of joy created by Christmas,
“A time when women and men open their hearts to each other.” Scrooge response
with words filled with cynicism and despair, “Bah, Humbug!!”
Pope Francis like Charles Dickens has expressed his concern about the
negative effects of the “globalization of capitalism.” Like Dickens, this son of
Italian immigrants, lived in the midst of the degradation and murder of human
beings in Argentina. He has witnessed the effects of unregulated capitalism on the
life of families and ordinary women and men.
The pontiff’s desire to minister to the needy is certainly a goal with merit.
The Francis has the statistics on his side to prove his point. In early 2014, Oxfam,
the controversial antipoverty organization operating in more than ninety countries,
revealed a near-unbelievable fact: The eighty-five richest people in the world have
more money than all of the 3.5 billion poorest people on the planet combined.
That means that the 1 percent off the richest people in the world control 46 percent
— nearly half — of the world’s wealth.
Pope Francis has said that, “It is vital that government leaders and financial
leaders take heed and broaden their horizons, working to ensure that all citizens
have dignified work, education, and healthcare.” In early 2014, Francis urged
global leaders gathered in Davos, Switzerland, to consider their broader roles in the
world order: “I ask you to ensure humanity is served by wealth, and not ruled by
it.”
During that return trip to London, Dickens decided to write A Christmas
Carol in order to change the societal attitudes of his fellow woman and man. He
invented Ebenezer Scrooge so that he could hold up a mirror to ourselves. He
invented the apparitions from another world so that we might realize that we need
the assistance of God to change our lives. This is the reason we celebrate the Birth
of Jesus into our lives. His life has revealed to us that by means of the divine gift of
mercy and hope we will combat the global evils of ignorance and want. Pope
Francis like his predecessors has emphasize this same message. If we want peace
combat ignorance and want in our global society. So as we celebrate this
wonderful gift of the entrance of God into our lives, the birth of Jesus of Nazareth,
let us pray that we will make the following New Year’s resolution: That we will
pray for a growth of hope and mercy in our lives. And we will work to end want
and ignorance in the world around us. Happy New Year!

Rev Bernard J Campbell OFM, Cap.