INTRODUCTION TO THE DEVOUT LIFE

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PART III, Chapter 14: The Poverty Of Spirit To Be Practised Amidst Riches

Happy are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God (Mt. 5:3). Accursed then are the rich in spirit for theirs is the misery of hell. He is rich in spirit who has riches in his spirit or his spirit in riches. He is poor in spirit who has neither riches in his spirit nor his spirit in riches. The halcyons make their nests like the closed palm of the hand and leave only a small opening from the top. They put them on the seashore and yet they remain so strong and impenetrable that, even when washed by the waves, water never enters them. Thus always floating, they remain in the midst of the sea, on the seas and masters of the sea[1]. Your heart, Philothea, is to be like that, open only to heaven, impenetrable to riches and perishable things. If you have them, keep your heart free from attachment to them. Let it always remain above riches, and in the midst of riches, let it be without riches and master of riches. No, do not put this heavenly spirit within earthly goods. Let it always be their master, above them and not in them.

There is always a difference between, keeping poison and being poisoned. The pharmacists almost all keep poisons, to make use of them in different circumstances. But they are not for that matter poisoned because they do not have poison in their bodies but only in their shops. So too you can own riches without being poisoned by them. Such will be the case, if you have them in your house, or in your purse, and not in your heart. To be rich actually and poor in affection for riches is the great happiness of the Christian. For he has by this means the benefits of the riches for this world and the merit of poverty for the next.

Alas, Philothea, no one will ever acknowledge himself to be covetous. Everyone disowns this meanness and pettiness of heart. They excuse themselves under the pre\text of the urgent care of children or the prudence which demands that they are well-established in resources. They never have too much. They always find the need to have more. Even the most avaricious, not only do not admit themselves to be such, but do not even think in their conscience of being such. For avarice is a raging fever which becomes all the more imperceptible, the more violent and burning in it. Moses saw the sacred fire which was burning the bush and yet did not consume it (Ex. 3:2). On the contrary the profane fire of avarice devours and consumes the covetous but does not burn him in any way. In the midst of the ardour and excessive heat of avarice, he boasts of the most gentle coolness of the world. He thinks that his insatiable craving is a completely natural and sweet thirst.

If you desire for long, ardently and anxiously, the goods which you do not have, it is useless to say that you do not wish them unjustly for even so you will not cease to be truly avaricious. He who desires for long, ardently and anxiously to drink, even though he wishes to drink only water, shows signs of fever.

Dear Philothea, I do not know whether it is a just desire to wish to have justly what another possesses justly. For it seems that by this desire we wish to take advantage of the inconvenience of another. Has the one, who possesses property justly, more reason to keep it justly than for us to desire to possess it justly? Why then do we extend our desire over his possession to deprive him of it? Even if this desire is just, it is certainly not charitable. In fact, we would not like that anyone else desire even justly what we wish to keep justly. This was the sin of Ahab who wished to have the vineyard of Naboth justly while Naboth wished to keep it still more justly: Ahab desired it ardently, anxiously and for long and thus he offended God (1 Kgs. 21:2-3). Wait, dear Philothea, to desire what your neighbour possesses till he begins to wish to get rid of it, because his desire will render yours not only just but charitable. Yes, I wish that you have the care to increase your resources and wealth, provided that it is done not only with justice but also with gentleness and charity.

If you are too attached to the goods you possess, if you are too occupied with them, setting your heart on them, concentrating your thoughts on them, and fearing with a lively anxious fear of losing them, believe me, you have still some kind of fever. For those who suffer from fever, drink the water given to them with a certain eagerness, as well as earnestness and satisfaction, which the healthy do not usually have. It is not possible to take great pleasure in a thing to which one does not give much love.

Do not desire with a full and earnest longing the wealth you do not have. Do not fix your heart deeply on what you have. Do not be distressed at the losses sustained. Then you have some reason to believe that, being rich in reality, you are not rich in affection, but you are poor in spirit, and consequently blessed, for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to you (Mt. 5:3).

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[1] Pliny. The halcyon, is a bird, usually identified with a species of kingfisher. The ancients believed that it bred about the time of the winter solstice in a nest floating on the sea. It was able to charm the wind and waves so that the sea was especially calm during the period.

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