"If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me." (Matthew 19:20-21)

The evangelical counsel of poverty in imitation of Christ who, although He was rich became poor for us, entails, besides a life which is poor in fact and in spirit, a life of labor lived in moderation and foreign to earthly riches, a dependence and a limitation in the use and disposition of goods according to the norm of the proper law of each institute.

The virtue of gospel or evangelical poverty applies to all disciples of Jesus, whatever their state in life or actual living conditions.  What is meant by evangelical poverty? 

To overcome our tendency to avarice we must learn to listen to the cry of the poor.  This is a cry that arose not only in biblical times, not only in times of primitive technology, but one that arises even in our affluent age.  In a world experiencing the full flood of development, this persistence of poverty stricken masses and individuals still constitutes a pressing call.

The cry of the poor must bar us from whatever would be a compromise with any form of social injustice.  From hard experience we know that social injustice is all around us, and we know how easy it is to compromise with it.  It includes dishonest business practices, disregard for the rights of employees or employers, neglectful and even harsh treatment of the truly needy.

Second the cry of the poor must keep us from being carried away by an uncurbed seeking of our own ease and from being enticed by the security of possessions, knowledge and power.

Third, the cry of the poor must encourage us to fraternal sharing with our needy brothers and sisters.  Such sharing is an imperative in evangelical poverty.  It is a sharing that calls for generosity and trust in the Lord. The truth is that many of us have enough and more than enough.

To combat the deadly sin of avarice we have an obligation to evaluate social and economic activity from the viewpoint of the poor and the powerless.  This arises from the radical command to love one's neighbor as one's self.  Those who are marginalized and whose rights are denied have privileged claims if society is to provide justice for all.  This option recognizes that the deprivation of powerlessness of the poor wounds the whole community.  Who should respond?  The temptation for us is to let the government or the other person respond.  Perhaps this is our time to accept our personal responsibility.