St. Francis of Assisi, the beloved saint who sang the praises of Lady Poverty, offers an unexpected lesson for business professionals, whose rightful concerns include earning a profit rather than pursuing poverty. There are few saints who have had such a profound effect on the Church and the world at large as St. Francis. And certainly among his gifts was raising the awareness of the world to not only the needs of the poor, but also the virtue of embracing detachment to material goods.
Most of us aren’t in a position to literally give up everything and live in what we might term strict poverty. But we can strive for a detachment from the things of this world.
This is true even for monks. Monks (such as the Benedictine, Camaldalese, and Cistercian orders) do not take a vow of poverty. The Evangelical Councils, as we term the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, are a relatively “new” thing in the Church, at least from a monk’s perspective. They only date from about the 13th century. Monks go back a thousand years previous. It was with the mendicant orders, the beggars who lived off donations, especially the Franciscans and Dominicans, that a spotlight was shone on the value of poverty.
Since monks are self supporting, we have always been involved in various enterprises and commerce. The value of private property and what we might term Christian Capitalism is a fundamental aspect of our life. Probably a better term than “private property” is property stewardship. We’re really just called to be stewards of certain portions of creation for the Creator, our ultimate CEO.
Monks do not have any personal possessions, and so de facto live the vow of poverty as the newer congregations live it. But our monasteries have possessions and all the tools necessary to live our life well.
Ours is not a poverty of “lack,” but rather a poverty of simplicity that avoids superfluity – we have and use what we need in order to do what God has called us to do. Any wealth that remains is used for two purposes: almsgiving and prudent foresight/preparation for future needs. This is perhaps a good model for everyone in the world.
I think we can, and should, extend this to our businesses. My monastery’s business, LaserMonks, promotes “Commerce with Compassion.” Wouldn’t this be an apt motto for all our enterprises? Incorporated businesses are considered a juridic person by the government. Shouldn’t they be held to the same standards to which God holds each of us as individuals?
Most of us aren’t in a position to literally give up everything and live in what we might term strict poverty. But we can strive for a detachment from the things of this world.
This is true even for monks. Monks (such as the Benedictine, Camaldalese, and Cistercian orders) do not take a vow of poverty. The Evangelical Councils, as we term the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, are a relatively “new” thing in the Church, at least from a monk’s perspective. They only date from about the 13th century. Monks go back a thousand years previous. It was with the mendicant orders, the beggars who lived off donations, especially the Franciscans and Dominicans, that a spotlight was shone on the value of poverty.
Since monks are self supporting, we have always been involved in various enterprises and commerce. The value of private property and what we might term Christian Capitalism is a fundamental aspect of our life. Probably a better term than “private property” is property stewardship. We’re really just called to be stewards of certain portions of creation for the Creator, our ultimate CEO.
Monks do not have any personal possessions, and so de facto live the vow of poverty as the newer congregations live it. But our monasteries have possessions and all the tools necessary to live our life well.
Ours is not a poverty of “lack,” but rather a poverty of simplicity that avoids superfluity – we have and use what we need in order to do what God has called us to do. Any wealth that remains is used for two purposes: almsgiving and prudent foresight/preparation for future needs. This is perhaps a good model for everyone in the world.
I think we can, and should, extend this to our businesses. My monastery’s business, LaserMonks, promotes “Commerce with Compassion.” Wouldn’t this be an apt motto for all our enterprises? Incorporated businesses are considered a juridic person by the government. Shouldn’t they be held to the same standards to which God holds each of us as individuals?
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