Vow Of Poverty

[emma8201986]

I am the first person my SD was counseled about entering religious life.  He has counseled many couples in preparation for marriage and is using many of the same exercises with me that he has used for them.  The most recent is beginning to think about what the vows mean.  We started with the vow of poverty.  I get that nothing you use is really yours - it belongs to the community and you use it.  I am exploring several communities - some wear habits, others don't.  The charism  and how I feel about the community are more important to me than clothes.  But as I ponder this vow, I am confused.  There is a sister who works at the school that my nephews attend.  She lives in a condo and wears very nice clothes.  Her hair is highlighted.  My sister told me that she frequently meets her at the nail salon.  My question is how this lifestyle is consistent with the vow of poverty?   There are Daughters of Charity who teach at a different school near my sister.  While they don't wear a habit like the Nashville Dominicans, they always wear a blue skirt and white or blue top and many of them wear a small veil.  Even though they don't wear a traditional habit, to me is seems that their attire is consistent with a vow of poverty and they live in community.  Am I being unfair to the sisters who don't wear any kind of uniform garb or live in communities?  Do i not understand the vow of poverty?  I meet with my SD just after Christmas and would like to have something intelligent to say on our topic.  Your thoughts would be appreciated.

[Pax_et bonum]

There are different ways that communities interpret the vow of poverty: from literally not owning anything even in community to what you described. The sister who lives in a condo, etc. doesn't personally own anything she has. The community holds everything in common, so no one sister owns anything. I'm guessing that they give a sort of allowance to each sister to provide for her own needs or wants as they may be. The excuse for salons and such is probably that she has to look nice/professional for her apostolate. Did that answer your question?

 

I don't think you're being unfair. Why even take the vow of poverty if they just interpret it like this? The Missionaries of Charity's poverty is the poverty of the poor they serve. Franciscans follow Gospel poverty, so are poor like Christ who had no place to rest His head. Many communities follow the model of the first Christians holding everything in community, but still living very modestly without many luxuries. There are different valid ways of expressing the vow of poverty, and I think that the fact that you're questioning the way this sister lives her vow indicates that you probably aren't called to that way of life. What we wear is a reflection of ourselves. The habit is obviously not the most important thing in discerning religious life--I don't think anyone would seriously say that--but it is often a good indicator of the way the sisters live. If the sisters are wearing nice clothes and makeup, you can know that you aren't drawn to the way they live the vow of poverty. I know a sister from Africa who doesn't wear a habit because it's too dangerous where she's from, but she doesn't wear makeup or get her nails done. Just to say that not all non-habited communities are the same.

 

In the book "...And You are Christ's" Fr. Dubay has a chapter on "Virginity and Frugality" (this is a good book to read on the vow of chastity, by the way, I've met multiple communities who have the sisters in formation read it). He talks about how people are not "edified" by religious who live "on the level of the upper middle class." They react like you did. He talks about how celibacy and poverty are connected; why would someone give up the great good of a human spouse and then substitute lesser goods? I wish I could write more about what he says, but I'd end up typing out the whole chapter! It's not a long or expensive book; maybe ask for it for Christmas because you should really read it.

[maximillion]

I agree with the above poster, and while being careful because I don't know the circumstances of the Sister involved, I do not believe it is edifying to see a Sister acting in this way - unless she has some sort of special apostolate to people in nail salons - who knows?

 

Poverty can be interpreted differently by different communities but I do think that to be representing Christ one needs to at least be frugal or live in such a way as to witness solidarity with the poor, and I don't think highlights and manicures do - just my opinion.

 

Holy Poverty is very freeing and many others better than me have written about the graces available to those who practice it, vowed or otherwise.