Francis Fernandez: The Virtue of Poverty

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

“The virtue of poverty is shown in our finishing our professional work well and in taking care of things we wear, our home and its furnishings, and the tools we use whether or not they belong to us. It shows clearly when we avoid inessential expenses even though our company pays for them.

It is also manifest if we truly never consider anything our own, and if we choose what is least attractive for ourselves provided our choice passes unnoticed. In family life, we can discover many opportunities for putting the virtue of poverty into practice.

We live the virtue well by accepting a shortage of material means with peace and calm and by avoiding capricious personal expense, vanity, luxury, and laziness. We are poor in spirit when we are consciously temperate in food and drink and always generous with others.

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 1 (London: Scepter, 1988) 192-193.

Poverty is a good virtue. Say that to yourself 10 times.

In the opening words of His famous Sermon on the Mount (also known as the Beatitudes), Jesus opens by saying the opposite of the world. That’s why we need to renew our minds with it.

The world says to possess wealth and be rich in spirit is good. Jesus says the opposite.

Later Jesus celebrated when a widow gave out of a place of poverty. Paul echoed this when the Macedonians gave out of their place of poverty.

Let’s lean into this otherworldly, heavenly idea.

Jesus modeled it, born in a manger and not having a place to lay His head. It shows that he had the one thing he needed: the kingdom or reign of God.

And he told those with wealth to give it away and grasp life 100x better than anything they could sort. Consider the implications of this for you.

I am not trying to rob you. I am trying to help you take hold of the kingdom of God.

The pathway to doing this is to pursue the virtue of poverty and Fernandez points the way in everyday work and family life for us.

But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 1 Timothy 6:8

“Be satisfied with what is sufficient. Any more than that is burdensome and does not bring relief. It will weigh you down and not support you.”

Augustine of Hippo in Sermon 85.6

Hear Augustine’s words again: “Be satisfied with what is sufficient.” If we follow the desires of our flesh, we never have enough. But in the Spirit we realize that if we have Christ and basic needs met, we have everything we have ever needed and will ever need.

Notice he adds that having more is actually a burden and not a blessing. It does not bring the relief it promises. It only brings more worries. It weighs us down, as Augustine adds and does not support us.

So as you take inventory, approaching the season of Thanksgiving in USA, please give thanks for God’s material blessings, keep what is sufficient, and share generously lest your surplus turn from being a blessing to being burdensome.

This thinking aims not to rob readers but help them take hold of life. Avoid being unnecessarily weighed down, and rightly locate satisfaction in the only place possible.

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:35

“A generous person knows how to be loving and understanding and how to give material help – without demanding love, understanding, or help in return. He or she gives and forgets he or she has given, and in this lies his or her riches. He or she has understood that it is better to give than to receive. He or she realizes that to love is in its essence to give oneself to others. Far from being an instinctive inclination, love is a conscious decision of the will to draw close to other people. To be able to love truly, it is important to be detached from everything and, especially from self, to give gratuitously.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 1 (London: Scepter, 1988) 192.

As I revisit the journey of the generous almsgiver, I find insight today from Fernandez to detach from things and from self. This makes so much sense when you think about it.

The generous person essentially shifts from living for self or living for things to living for God and others. This positions the person to give “free of charge” or gratuitously.

As we enter a season that has everything from materialistic shopping to pausing to give thanks, ponder with me what detachment looks like. It says, I need not things, but only one thing: God.

Others need Him too, so I make the conscious decision to show His all sufficiency by living for them and Him gratuitously. I find refreshment and joy in the journey so I stay the course.

Others may also join because it is better to give than receive. It’s the better way. Regardless of the difficulties or challenges, I make known my needs to God and stay on this path. It’s the path of generosity and love.

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender. Proverbs 22:7

As I stated yesterday, I serve as President & CEO of GTP (Global Trust Partners). We offer on demand courses to multiply faithful stewards around the world.

Right now hundreds of stewards in more than 50 countries are going through 4 courses. Today, I got this question and felt led to post it and my reply as today’s post. Happy reading.

“How do we identify and then avoid those financial decisions which reflect the prevailing cultural norms?”

Michael Cherenkov of Ukraine asked this question in the GTP on demand course entitled The Choice, based on the book, The Choice: The Christ-Centered Pursuit of Kingdom Outcomes, by Gary G. Hoag, R. Scott Rodin, and Wesley K. Willmer (Winchester: ECFA Press, 2014).

Here was my reply in the on demand platform.

“Hi Michael, I can think of many examples, but I will suggest two.

In church settings, the prevailing cultural mindset is “if you build it they will come” (actually a famous movie line). When that cultural thinking enters a church, the leadership thinks, “The only way we will have a large church is to borrow money and build a big building.” That leads to the prevailing cultural norm that the only way to build is with debt. The bigger is better mindset plunges a congregation into financial slavery. Alternatively, a church can be great and grow with an ordinary building or no building. That’s eternity minded thinking because ultimately the church is a body, not a building. For more on this, read this blog: “Biblical Advice for Your Church Building Project”.

​In ministry settings, the prevailing cultural mindset is a budget-driven scarcity mindset. The focus of many charities is on what they cannot do because of what they do not have. They have the worldly mindset that money makes ministry happen and rather than pray and plan and discern what God wants them to do, they say, we can only do A, B, and C, because we have limited funds. It’s sad. God lets them struggle for years with this thinking. Anyway, so the financial decisions, when guided by worldly scarcity rather than godly abundance thinking shape everything. I suggest do a discernment retreat and urge people to put to work what they have. It’s true you may want more money. First be faithful with the little you have and often God will supply more. For more on this, read this blog: “Framework for Discernment Retreats”. – https://www.gtp.org/2022/01/framework-for-discernm…

I hope this helps.”

What about you? How are prevailing cultural norms trying to shape and influence your decisions the church or ministry where you work or serve as a volunteer?

But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your ancestors, as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:18

As you may know, I serve as President & CEO of GTP (Global Trust Partners). We offer on demand courses to multiply faithful stewards around the world.

Right now hundreds of stewards in more than 50 countries are going through courses. Today, I got this question from Marilyn Aragon and felt led to post it and my reply as today’s post. Happy reading.

“Can you share us some thoughts on creating wealth righteously?”

Marilyn Aragon asked this question in GTP on demand course entitled When Money Goes on Mission, based on the book by Rob Martin (Chicago: Moody Press, 2019). Here was my reply in the on demand platform.

Hi Marilyn, first of all, biblically speaking, if you find it hard to create wealth righteously, it’s because it is impossible to do so. Let me explain.

The biblical use of the word ‘create’ links to God. Everything we do uses the raw matter or ideas from Him. Ecclesiastes 1:9 reminds us, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Only God creates ex nihilo, out of nothing. So if you struggle, it’s because, by definition, you are trying to do what only God can do.

Humans can, however, produce wealth. All production comes from raw materials from God. If I had a forest of wood, for example, I could produce a log cabin out of the raw material, wood, that God has supplied. I might produce it with creativity, but I never create, per se. If I follow this righteous course, the buyer of the cabin wins, the builders get work, and I make income. Everyone wins.

And righteous wealth production keeps insights from the whole Bible in view. For example, Genesis 1:26-28 reminds us that God created everything and appointed us as stewards of creation. Go back to the forest. If I cut down all the wood, what happens. No more forest. So my righteous production can become unrighteous quickly if I destroy the ecosystem and the bio-diversity, the life in the woods.

Also James 5:1-6 talks about paying fair wages. Go back to the woods. If I paid the builders an unfair wage, my production becomes unrighteous. God sees it too. He hears their cries. Some have chosen to wipe out one forest and with the profits buy and destroy another. Not good. I am saying to produce your cabins with attentiveness to the larger stewardship of creation and fair compensation to workers.

Also, Deuteronomy 8:18 teaches us that God gives us this ability to produce wealth. But that production always comes with a purpose. Righteous wealth production never aims at becoming self-indulgent, materialistic, arrogant, or financially independent. All those aims, biblically speaking, represent foolishness. He blesses us to bless others.

Let me move the illustration from the business sector of building log cabins to the ministry sector which relates to this course. I will use my own GTP story as an example. God called me to start GTP in 2018, we have produced wealth by stewarding our relationships and inviting people to join with us in our purpose. This story mirrors the story of many ministries.

As resources have come in, have I given them all to myself. Of course not! I have administrative standards and governance in place to hold me and the other staff accountable. As an aside, most privately owned businesses lack standards and governance, often to their own destruction. Perhaps you know stories of people who have fallen into this trap. I digress.

At GTP we get accredited every year by ECFA to verify we are following seven standards of responsible stewardship. Visit ecfa.org to learn more. This explains why GTP sets up peer accountability groups like ECFA around the world. When ministries produce wealth righteously, givers share in God’s work, staff use their gifts, volunteers find joy, prayer partners feel blessed. Everyone wins.

At GTP we have stewarded now more than $5 million that has come to GTP in 5+ years. We now have resources to operate, 14 staff and 193 key volunteers to strengthen Christian workers in 134 countries. And we have “come over and help us” calls for help all coming in from over the world. If this sounds like something you want, how do you get there? It goes back to your question.

The righteous way to produce wealth links to using what you have faithfully and in God-honoring ways, while operating with standards, and having good governance to ensure accountability. By this way, riches and fruitful seasons don’t ruin you but position you for more fruitfulness. In a nonprofit or church, when this happens, God’s workers serve joyously, recipients get empowered, and everyone wins.

I hope this helps. Abandon the aim to create anything. We have one Creator, God. Our job is to steward that which He entrusts to us for having a portion to return to Him, to bless others, and to care for your families. That’s His design and righteous desire. Anything else, well, is not righteous, which in biblical terms means it is wicked, and in wicked schemes, everyone loses.​ I hope this helps you.

Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. Deuteronomy 15:10-11

“Charity without justice would not be real charity: rather would it simply be an attempt to anesthetize one’s conscience. Nevertheless, one meets people who call themselves ‘Christians’ but leave aside justice and limit their actions to a bit of welfare work, which they define as charitable, without realizing that they are doing only a part of what in fact they have a strict duty to do.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 1 (London: Scepter, 1988) 266.

God’s commanded His people in the Old Testament to live generously. It came with a promise of blessing in all their work. Because there would always be needy people, He wanted them to live openhanded.

In modern times, Fernandez calls out the paltry giving that aims only to anesthetize the conscience of people capable of doing more. He reminds such people they are doing only part of their strict duty.

Today’s Veteran’s Day in the USA, a day we salute soldiers who have done their duty in military service. It makes me ask those who call themselves ‘Christians’ if they are doing their duty.

While duty language may sound harsh, throughout the New Testament, Jesus gives commands and Paul gives instructions. Under grace, generous openhanded living is not optional, it’s expected.

How would you assess your living and giving? Are you doing enough to anesthetize your conscience? Are you doing only part of your strict duty? Remember. God sees. Make Him smile.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5

“A person or a society that does not react to suffering and injustice and mades an attempt to alleviate them is still distant from the love of Christ’s heart. While Christians enjoy the fullest freedom in finding and applying various solutions to these problems, they should be united in having one and the same desire to serve humankind. Otherwise their Christianity will not be the world and life of Jesus; it will be a fraud, a deception of God and man.”

Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) in Christ is Passing By (Strongsville: Scepter, 1974) 166.

As we approach the season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, we give alms not like a bandaid to problems but create fellowship, otherwise, as Escrivá put it, our faith is a fraud by having one and the same desire as Christ.

I sat here pondering the opposite of service. Think about it. What is the opposite of having one and the same desire as Christ? It is pursuing our own desires and agendas, which often comes at the expense of others.

Leaning into this season, we have agreed to be more attentive to people. Let us put their needs in view and add service to that. Motivated by gratitude for the fact that Jesus came to serve us, let us aim at serving others.

Let us do this with the goal not of giving handouts but giving handups. Remember, Jesus did not send help. He came. Let us show up and show our faith is not a fraud in whatever circles God puts us.

Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15

“We have to be detached from all our belongings. Thus we will be able to use everything on earth in the way that accords best with the will of God. Our heart will be for Him only and for the good things of God that never fail. Detachment makes of life a delightful way of austerity and effectiveness.

A Christian should frequently ask Himself a series of questions: Does he or she remain ever-vigilant so as not to fall into a spirit of comfort, into a sort of self-satisfaction, which is in no way compatible with being a disciple of Christ? Does he or she try not to create superfluous needs? Do the things of earth bring him or her closer to or take him further away from God.

We always can and should be abstemious in our personal needs, tightening up on superfluous expenditure, not giving in to mere whims, overcoming the tendency to create false needs, and being generous in almsgiving.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 208.

As I lean into the idea of almsgiving, I learned a new word today. Maybe you are learning a new work do. Prior to typing this I did not know what the word ‘abstemious’ meant.

It’s the opposite of self-indulgent. It means that you aim at simple living and avoid false needs or thinking you need things you really don’t need to create margin for addressing real needs through almsgiving.

Sit quietly on this Saturday. Ask yourself the questions above again. Follow the leading of the Spirit. Ask yourself what steps you need to take to move toward abstemious living and generous almsgiving.

Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Luke 12:33

“Almsgiving proceeds from a merciful heart is more useful for the one who practices it than for the one who receives it, for the man who makes a practice of almsgiving draws out a spiritual profit from his acts, whilst those who receive his alms receive only a temporal benefit.”

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) in Commentary on the Second Epistle to the Corinthians 8.10.

Someone asked me about almsgiving recently so I am doing some research to learn more about this act that delivers temporal benefit and returns an even greater spiritual profit.

My finds reveal clues that appear like the modern day benevolence fund or deacons fund. Imagine a collection to help people in crisis or provide one-time gifts to those with unexpected need.

Evidence also points to support for the infirm, the destitute, and those who may not be able to work. Support to them shows God’s love to the watching work through the care of the weak and marginalized.

And notice, Aquinas links the benefit to those with a merciful heart.

Let’s unpack that. It’s a heart that says, “I have more than enough and I will give to those that may not even be deserving because in my undeserving state, God showered blessings on me.”

If you have resources, give alms to individuals and upport ministries that build up people on a local and global scale. Do this so they receive temporal benefit and you get unfailing spiritual profit.

Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20

“Effective detachment from things demands sacrifice. Any detachment which is not hard is not real. Christian life is such that it calls that it calls for a radical change in attitude towards earthly goods. We must acquire them and use them not as the end in themselves, but as a means of serving God, the family, and society. The objective of a Christian is not to accumulate more and more but to love Christ more and more through our work, our family, and our material goods.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 133.

I got an email that advertised a “Black Friday” sale early. It’s really early considering that bargain shopping day is not until 29 November 2024.

“More and more” in the world’s way of thinking links to accumulation. But what if, we focused on loving Christ “more and more” instead and loving Christ through our work, family, and material goods.

This calls for detachment. We learn to detach watching Jesus. The home in the world for a fox or a bird is a den or a nest. Jesus had neither. This implies that He did not focus on earth as home.

He deployed himself (work), His relationships with others eager to do the will of God (family), and any resources that came to Him (material goods) on mission with others.

As we focus on people in the last two months of this year, let’s consider the detached example of Jesus and think about our priorities. We will have many opportunities to buy things (more and more).

We will also have many chances to love Christ (more and more) through our work, family, and material goods. Only as we follow Jesus do we discover that detachment from things helps us attach to Him.

And it positions us to live, give, serve, and love generously.