Hi Anne,
Your points about the gifts of God and possessiveness made me think about something I had read recently.
I do not think that Francis actually defined poverty. Bonaventure (and I am paraphrasing Ilia Delio, osf in her "Franciscan Prayer") says that as soon as we ask "who am I?" we begin a life of poverty because we begin a life of radical dependency since we come from and belong to God (and I would add that only pride would lead us to conclude otherwise). Also everything we have is a gift from God and Francis viewed sin as self-appropriation (taking for ourselves what is not ours for our own use - or misuse). Francis did not say we could not use goods, he said we could not own them (sine proprio). Because these goods belong to all and must be shared with our neighbours who bear the image and likeness of God. Seen this way, poverty is an overflowing of love (make me an instrument of your ....)
I think Holy poverty leads to God through humility, dependency and trust. But if this leads to God then is this poverty or really riches, spiritual riches?
Let me quote Ilia Delio (p 84):"Francis did not pursue poverty for its own sake but for the sake of achieving a total union with God. Material dispossession (outer poverty) led him to an inner poverty whereby Francis found himself related to everything because he realized that everything in creation shares in the same primordal goodness."
Pax et bonum,
Andrew
