We ought to be humble enough to accept what is evident to
our eyes, as we see the world that it is a passing world. So must we live
in humility and reconciliation with our fellow man and woman, thanking God who
is the Almighty and provident source of life and goodness. Thus the Bible
reminds us: “How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God, happy
are you who are hungry now; you shall be satisfied, happy are you who weep now;
you shall laugh” (Lk. 6:20). Let us not forget the lives of Jesus, and
the Apostles and the Saints, why they preferred to live the poor and simple
life
St. James in his letter explains this: “It is for the
poor brother to be proud of his high rank, and the rich one to be thankful that
he has been humbled, because riches last no longer than the flowers in the
grass; the scorching sun comes up, and the grass withers, the flower falls;
what looked so beautiful now disappears. It is the same with the rich man:
his business goes on; he himself perishes” (Jas. 1:9-11). This privilege
of the poor is recognized in the early Church; it (the kingdom of heaven) is
barred to the rich unless they reduce themselves to the same humble
state. It is the reason why the example of the saints shows their free
use of the world’s goods without being unduly attached to them and in accord
with God’s will and laws. In that same letter of St. James he criticizes
in chapter 2 those attitudes or acts of discrimination towards the poor.
This could be a timely reminder for us in the Church and in society.
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