What would the vow of poverty make me give up?
Brian asks:
Here's a superficial question for ya... I'm a 17 year old considering, quite seriously, a vocation. It's the vow of poverty thing that gets me; not that I'm so materialistic that I can't do it, but my music is one of the most important things in my life. I need music, I need art in my life. It would be quite painful to give up my CD collection... I know this sounds all materialistic and shallow, but music... it's almost my soul. I dunno how to phrase this right. But you get what I'm saying, I hope. I assume I'd have to relinquish this collection.
Dear Brian,
You got it right. When you follow Christ and take a vow of poverty you give up all material things.
Why so, and what will happen to your love for art and music?
It is all a question of trust. There are two sides to poverty: one is leaving all things to follow Christ, just like the apostles left their livelihood and all they had depended on up to then (Peter his boat, Matthew his tax job...); the other is giving all we have to Christ. So poverty is giving, we give up things for Christ, and we give ourselves to him. When we give up things we are free to give ourselves to him, because it is usually things that hold us back from giving ourselves.
Both of these sides of poverty require trust. We trust Christ and for that reason we don't seek our security or satisfaction in anything outside of him. We trust Christ and for that reason we put ourselves totally in his hands. If he gave us talents or abilities we give them back to him for him to use however he wants, we don't use them for our own enjoyment and pleasure alone.
Poverty brings peace into our lives and allows us to place no barriers to God's action and no limits to what he might ask of us.
God bless. I'll be praying for you.
Fr. Anthony Bannon
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