Poverty is a social disease. But material and physical poverty are nothing compared to spiritual poverty. We are all poor in Spirit.
We are completely dependent upon God for his life giving grace. Without his grace, we would be nothing literally.
When we see the poor and destitute, God reminds us of the grace we have received and the opportunity to be channels of grace as St. Paul declares:
“Give as it has been given to you
for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:6)
Joy comes from being filled with God’s love and joy increases when we give that love away freely. Joy, a heart filled with the Divine Presence, brims over and pours out in an abundance of good deeds.
Our soul filled to the brim pours out joy in which we share our love even unto death, for our soul, filled with Divine Love, never runs dry.
Joy, grounded in Divine Love, knows for certain that Jesus is our help and salvation. We have nothing to fear. Nothing that life throws at us, nothing that tempts will derail us. Nothing that corrupts and disrupts us will ever destroy us, for He, the Good Shepherd, is ever at my side.
As we enter into Holy Week, the Paschal Feast, our joy is complete. Jesus longs to eat this meal with us for it is not merely a meal, but the outpouring of his love upon us. This meal, called a Last Supper, is rather the Last Sacrifice. Jesus writes his love upon our hearts with his life, the blood poured out upon the cross forgives us of our sins.
Though all seems lost as we eat this Passover and watch his death, his sacrifice, however, restores our lives. Though dead, we do not despair, for Jesus offers his life as a ransom for our redemption.
With Christ, we partake of his Passion and Death. Embracing His death, which is our death too, we trust in the Lord for He is our help and salvation.
It is only in the darkness of suffering that we desperately seek the light. We have to enter into the valley of darkness — the way of the cross — before we experience the joy of Jesus.
This seems paradoxical, but it is God’s ways, not ours. Only in acknowledging and accepting our poverty will we embrace our need for God.
Suffering reveals our need, for we cannot heal ourselves. Suffering not only strips us from our delusion that we can heal ourselves, but reveals our absolute dependency upon God, Who is Father, Who gives us His life through His Son, as He empties Himself on the Cross only to fill our cups, our souls, with His life giving joy. Hence Jesus tells us:
“I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (Jn15:11)