Voluntary Poverty. The first evangelical counsel of perfection is the renunciation of earthly possessions, and this is the first vow of religion, opposed to the concupiscence of the eyes. Our Lord gave the example of this virtue; He was born, He lived, He died in the extremest poverty, though He was the Lord of all things, and had all the treasures of the earth at His disposal. Those who wished to become His disciples were required to renounce all that they possessed, or to sell their property and give it to the poor. The Apostles and the early Christian communities observed all this literally. The counsel is not indeed necessary for all; but it is still required by God to be observed by some for the completer reproduction of the image of Jesus in His members, and for an example to the world of perfect living. Some need that lesson to teach them to be disinterested, and to check the inordinate greed of gain; others need it so that they may learn the dignity of poverty, and be helped to bear their hard lot. Poverty is a great aid towards holiness of life, for riches bring cares, and create new wants, and incite to self-indulgence, and enervate the spirit, and distract the mind from God. Learn to regard wealth and poverty according to the light shed on them by the example of Christ and His faithful followers.
