Kristofer and the Vow of Poverty/Simplicity
The Vow of Poverty/The Vow of Simplicity
In this four week video series, Kristofer will be reflecting on the promises he is preparing to make in early June as part of his formation in the Order of St. Francis. In this Profession of Vows, his two-year period of the novitiate will come to an end. You are invited to listen in, as Kristofer discusses the promises we make to God. In today’s reflection, he will share more about his understanding of the Vow of Poverty, how it takes form in this uniquely Anglican/ Episcopal way of being, and explore with you about how this value of simplicity may have meaning in your own life and ministry as part of St. Francis Episcopal Parish & Community Center.
See below for an excerpt on The Vow of Poverty from the website of the Order of St. Francis: https://www.orderofsaintfrancis.org/vocation
The Order of Saint Francis
Profession of Vows
The Vow of Poverty
“…then let them go, sell all they have, and attempt to give it to the poor. If they cannot do so, their good intention will suffice. Let the brothers and their ministers beware of becoming concerned about the new brothers' temporal possessions, for they should freely dispose of their belongings as God inspires them.” (Rule of 1223)
The vow of poverty is most commonly expressed as a vow of “simplicity” or living within a modest means. The renunciation which is essential and strictly required is the abandonment of all that is superfluous, not that it is absolutely necessary to give up the ownership of all property, but a Brother must be contented with what is necessary for his own use. Then only is there a real detachment which sufficiently mortifies the love of riches, cuts off luxury and vain glory, and frees from the care for worldly goods.
Evangelical poverty demonstrates confidence in the Father, affects interior freedom, and disposes to promote a more just distribution of wealth. A Brother must provide for himself or his family and serve society by means of his work and material goods, and therein lies a particular manner of living evangelical poverty. To understand and achieve it requires a strong personal commitment, the stimulation of the fraternity in prayer and dialogue, communal review of life, attentiveness to the instructions of the Church, and the demands of society.
The Brother should pledge himself to reduce his own personal needs so as to be better able to share spiritual and material goods with his fellow brothers and sisters, especially those most in need. He should give thanks to God for the goods he has received, using them as a good steward and not as an owner. He should take a firm position against consumerism and against ideologies and practices which prefer riches over human and religious values and which permit the exploitation of the human person and our environment.
