The ultimate poverty

 

As the title of my blog should confirm, one of my favorite passages of Scripture is the account of the travelers on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).  There is so much to learn in the account!  Perhaps the most overlooked sentence is verse 27: “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.” 

What that means for us is that the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old Testament.  If one reflects deeply and meaningfully enough, certain passages in the New reflect the Old.  My reflection today was an example of this.

The Book of Wisdom reminds us that God did not make death.  Nor does God rejoice in death. Our God is a god of life, not death.  Further, God created us to be imperishable. Only those who join the company of the devil experience death.  So, when we choose God, we choose eternal life. When we turn away from God, we turn towards death (Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24).

This theme of life and death continues in the Gospel where Jesus raises a twelve-year-old girl from the dead.  In doing so, Jesus establishes His identity as the son of God.  Like God (indeed, He is God), Jesus has power over death (Mark 5:21-43).

Though not explicitly mentioning death, St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians focuses on poverty and on being poor: “for your sake [Jesus] became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:7-15)

Yet is poverty so different from death?  Isn’t death the ultimate form of poverty?  Death strips us not only of our material possessions, but also of our relationships and of our own lives.  In death, we leave behind not just our money and favorite foods, but also our friends and family.

St. Paul reminds us that Jesus became poor.  In becoming human, Jesus became vulnerable to death. Jesus embraces the ultimate form of poverty.  And Jesus’ action has ramifications for us.  Jesus became poor so that we may become rich.  St. Paul reminds us that we should imitate Jesus’ generosity by sharing our material goods with others.  We should give from our abundance to provide for the needs of others.

Death may be the ultimate form of poverty, but so many people live in poverty.  I remember a quote I once heard: “There is something about poverty that smells like death.”  Death and poverty are linked. None of us can raise the dead, but we can share our resources and talents with those in need.  In this way, we can share in Jesus’ power over death.