St. Joseph: Lover of Poverty

[Note: The following is a reflection that was given on Monday night during St. Matthew's Lenten Holy Hour.]

I recently discovered an old traditional litany to St. Joseph. One of the titles that St. Joseph went by in this litany was "Lover of Poverty...St. Joseph, Lover of Poverty, pray for us!"

I have to admit, this title is somewhat peculiar to me. It sounds a little odd. Afterall, we are often made to think that it is bad to be poor and that only when we are rich, comfortable, and surrounded by material wealth and security that we will be truly happy and blessed.

But my friends, if we truly explore what our Catholic-Christian faith teaches us and if we look also to the example of St. Joseph, then we will quickly realize that true happiness and true blessedness comes in recognizing and embracing our poverty.

You might remember that Pope Francis was officially installed as the Bishop of Rome four years ago on the Feast of St. Joseph. Pope Francis has reminded us that we are to be a Church that is poor and a Church that is for the poor. We see this in how Pope Francis has chosen to live, shirking palaces in place of a hotel room - abandoning limousines and choosing simple cars.

But even more than embracing material poverty, Pope Francis has challenged us as a Church to recognize and embrace our spiritual poverty. We all struggle. We all sin. We all fall to our own plans, schemes, and desires. And yet we have been saved in and through God's love. We have experienced the Lord's profound gift of mercy. We are saved, not based on our own merit, but on God's goodness to us.

When we empty ourselves of those material possessions that distract us and make us competitive...when we empty ourselves of the need of being in charge of our lives...when we empty ourselves of ego, pride, and individualism...then we will find that our hearts are free and available to do the will of the Lord. In our poverty - in being poor, empty, and available - we find that we can better hear the voice of God in our lives.

This is why we can look to St. Joseph as our model of discipleship, as our model of embracing material and spiritual poverty. As a poor laborer, Joseph was empty of the material things that distract us from our living relationship with God. Joseph was empty of vengeance and cruelty when he found out Mary was pregnant. Joseph was empty of fear when he, with Mary and the child, fled to Egypt and escaped those violent forces that sought the life of Jesus. Joseph was empty of his own wants, dreams, and desires. In the poverty and emptiness of silence, Joseph was commissioned through an angelic voice to care for Mary and Jesus as husband and father.

St. Joseph reminds us that true blessedness lies in our poverty.

Tonight, as we sit here in silent adoration of our Eucharistic Lord, who himself chose to be poor, empty, and available in order to do the Father's will, let us take stock of how well we are embracing our call as baptized Christians to embrace and love our material and spiritual poverty. What might be getting in our way? What possessions or wealth holds us back from our commitment as disciples? What prevents us from being completely open to doing the will of God in our lives?

We may not always live up to our calling, but thankfully we have a God who is patient and merciful, a God who tenderly shows us how to embrace this poverty of spirit. And in St. Joseph, we have a role model, a patron, and a guide who shows us how to live in a spirit like Christ - free to do the will of the Father because he is poor, empty, and available.

St. Joseph, Lover of Poverty, pray for us!