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Writer's pictureSarah Raad

Opulence

“All this, my daughter, and many other blessings are contained in voluntary poverty, and all this the sons of the world are ignorant and deprived of, precisely because they are lovers of earthly riches and enemies of this holy and opulent poverty.” (Blessed Mary Agreda).

The Uncorrupted body of Venerable Mary of Agreda

I have been reflecting on the poor.


There are so many people who are poor in material things – they have not got enough food or clothing or money to live a comfortable earthly life. But this is not the only type of poverty. And so, I have found myself reflecting on the poor in spirit – on those who are lonely and ostracised by society. I have found myself reflecting on those made poor by the circumstances outside of their control. These are the spouses who wait at home at night for the addicts – praying that tonight will be a good night, or the children who wait at school for the bullies to begin.


And I have been praying for these poor souls, who wait for Christ to appear to them – to SAVE them from their poverty…

And yet, there is something wonderful about poverty that someone like me – who lives entirely in the world – fails to understand…

Venerable Mary of Agreda wrote of her revelations of the Blessed Virgin in her text, “The Mystical City of God”…


“The vow of poverty is a generous renunciation and detachment from the heavy burden of temporal things. It is an alleviation of the spirit, it is a relief afforded to human infirmity, the liberty of a noble heart to strive after eternal and spiritual blessings. It is a satiety and abundance, in which the thirst after earthly treasures is allayed, and a sovereignty and ownership, in which a most noble enjoyment of all riches is established. All this, my daughter, and many other blessings are contained in voluntary poverty, and all this the sons of the world are ignorant and deprived of, precisely because they are lovers of earthly riches and enemies of this holy and opulent poverty.”


And I have been reflecting on that “opulent poverty” as described by Venerable Mary of Agreda…


You see, opulence means excess. Usually when we use the word opulence, we are referring to abundance or a richness, which is – in itself – the opposite of poverty.


And this is important because it means that the mere choice to combine these two phrases in “opulent poverty” is telling me something. You see, there is an excess or an abundance of poverty in the vow of poverty and it is through this excess of dedication to their vocation that there can be an excess of love… Blessed Angela said, “No one can make excuses, because anyone can love God; and He does not ask the soul for more than to love Him, because He loves the soul, and it is His love.”\


And I have been thinking about that today – in the lead up to Christmas, with gifts and shopping and all the rest of it… Because I have been thinking about what it is that I should be offering my Beloved, and I have come to realise that since I have not taken a vow of poverty, I must offer Him whatever I have – so long as it is opulent. Because it is the opulence that reflects His love…


For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.

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