“What does poverty mean to you? What effect does poverty have on your life, personally or through others you know or are aware of?
Poverty is not exclusive for, or to, a certain race of people. Poverty has many facets and degrees in awareness to it, acceptance of it, and areas in which it prevails. Poverty is not just class determined or class conscious.
Do you accept poverty in any areas of its real existence? Poverty is as real as the earth we live on. Poverty can be self-imposed. Sometimes it is used as a crutch. Poverty can be a total way of life, living off of other people, depending upon other people’s strengths, soundness, goodness, sincerity, generosity and love.
Poverty can be a mental block to courage, personal progress, high standard of values and strong emotional stability.
Poverty is misused and poverty misuses. Poverty is a substitute for dignity, security, self-esteem, success. Poverty is sometimes used as a security blanket of escape and for escape. Poverty eliminates the personal effort and accomplishment for normal values and standards.
Are you poverty-stricken?
Poverty is many, many times, weak excuse. Poverty is the playmate to self-destruction. Poverty is sometimes poor planning, laziness, indifference, wasting productive time. Poverty is accepting the least because it is the easiest way to exist.
The general opinion of poverty is someone totally stricken with a lack of funds, of means; destitute. Poverty can be induced by environment, but poverty can also be introduced through a lack of motivation. To some people, poverty is acceptable. It takes energy to stand up and be counted, to face obstacles, to reject what is not profitable.
Poverty has areas in it that can stretch the imagination. Let’s really look at poverty. Some people walk in total poverty mentally, physically, spiritually, monetarily. Each of these areas is critical. Some people, by nature, refuse to reject any poverty area.
Monetary poverty is, for the most part, the lesser of poverties. Poverty of the Spiritual life could be discussed in many ways: rejection of the existence of God, a lack of Faith in what He is all about; a predetermined evaluation on why people are born, and a suffocated or sterile attitude toward the reality of human life, the richness that is there, the Purpose for which it is, and the necessity to not neglect the privilege to work at being a human being, walking in dignity, sincerity, self-discipline, self-control and Faith.
Ask yourself, do you, would you, are you, vulnerable to poverty in any way?
Through The Miracle Of Saint Joseph, God has given the whole world the opportunity to never be spiritually poverty-stricken. He has allowed Many, Many Saints in Heaven with Him, to teach simply, many Lessons that give purpose, strength, direction, motivation, to every man’s life.
It is now as it was three thousand years ago, as it was two thousand years ago. First He sent The Rules, the Ten Commandments. They were handed to the people to show the value God placed upon human life and the necessity for self-discipline, self-control, that He not only expected but commanded for the Salvation of Souls.
Two thousand years ago, He gave to us a way of life, a method and a means through which, by which, we would have the stability of order, control, and a Oneness of Faith to learn from and to gather strength in the Purpose for which we were born. Bible History, brought down through the ages, has told us the Facts. Time, of course, eliminates many of the details.
Translation has a way of omitting, bypassing, changing the value of the content. But when it is of God, the Truth, the Logic, the Purpose is always evident.
Today we are standing in the greatest time since the time of the beginning of Holy Mother Church. We are not poverty-stricken nor are we poverty orientated. We are in no way unable to see the Beauty of His Love, for once again, He has returned with Direction, Teaching and Love, to stabilize our Faith, to encourage our attention to the Ten Commandments, and for us to stand up and be counted for the Truth and the Logic of Holy Mother Church; but, in no way did He just hand this without the Teaching in a simple form.
We are a wealthy people when we trust God, follow His Direction, and use our Faith in Him for the purpose He intended: to serve in every way possible, His Will; to use our time to help others better understand God’s Will, and to express our Faith with love, knowing we are His children. He is our Father, our Creator. He is our Judge.”
