Dear Brothers,

We are in the Advent season and the Gospel readings invite us to be ready. Let us prepare ourselves by going deep into the revelation of God and the human reality. And here we would like to remind you about St. Bonaventure’s theology of Incarnation in the light of the humility of God. According to him the humility of God is intertwined with the Incarnation. Bonaventure views the humility of God through the words of John’s Gospel “the Word was made flesh” (Jn 1:14). In Incarnation, Bonaventure tells us, God stoops/bends down to embrace us in love. We might say God’s last name is ‘world’. In this way God could be understood as love or, more specifically, God is humble love. This insight came from the inspirations of St. Francis for whom the main experience of God is his ‘humility’. And this he discovered in his encounter with Christ on the cross who was poor, humble and abandoned. This humble presence is again alive to us in the Eucharist and in the poor and the needy we meet. Thus we can understand these mystic saints who explored love as the reason for both creation and Incarnation. And it is very vivid in the humility of God. How can this be concretized in our reality? If God bends over in love for us in and through the humble Christ, then we who are little “words” must bend over in love for one another and for all creation. We take and practice the humility of God in our fragmented, complex, changing, and sometimes insensitive world (cf: Ilia Delio, The Humility of God: A Franciscan Perspective, St. Anthony Messenger Press, Ohio, 2005, 3-13). In this context we shall talk about the world of the poor and the fear we sometimes have of them. The meditation on the humility of God can remove my fear about the poor and make me a simple brother who can be reached by the poor and the needy.

The humanity of the poor and the needy:

One of the very important personal experiences for me to understand the world of the poor was during my visit to a slum when I was doing my theological studies. There was a cobbler family who used to make shoes and live on that income. The family had four daughters, two of which were mentally challenged persons. The father of the family had tuberculosis and due to his economic struggles because of poverty he used to come to our friary asking for some help. We used to give him some amount to do his business. He used to take when he lacked money and return it as soon as he had earned enough. One day we were distributing house materials for the poor and we thought of him and asked him how many coconut thatching pieces he would need to cover the ceiling of his hut because it was already very old and damaged. He said he would need only 100 pieces. The brother who was distributing it gave him 125 pieces. To our surprise he left 25 pieces separate and took only the 100 pieces that were needed. We asked him why he did that and his reply was: I need only 100 pieces and the other 25 belong to other poor; you will need them to share with the needy.” The dignity and the humanity of this poor man was great. After a while we were not seeing him for some time. Then I went in search of him and I was informed that he was very sick and was admitted in the government hospital. The doctors told me that he was very anemic because he did not eat for many days. I asked him why he did not ask for help and his reply was: “I should not trouble you too much because already you are helping me for my business and there are many who need your help.”

Poor people enable us have good experiences of life wisdom. They teach us many things which no university could teach us. “My theology becomes meaningful with my experience with the poor and simple. The Catholic Church is full of potentiality and has a good future. It is the potentiality of the Gospel. We have to be with the poor, not with our ideology but with the Word of God,” says Bishop Bruno Forte. Above all today we have our Pope Francis who always invites us to go to the periphery and find the humble God present there. He also witnesses that in and through his life. The love and the humility of God could make me sensible and simple. All those who encountered the poor with the message of Christ’s love in their hearts came out renewed and started a new life.

Love of God that propels me to reach the least loved persons.

“Blessed are the poor because theirs is the kingdom of God.” The poor people have no one except God rely on. They are dependent and simple. Let us develop interest in entering into the world of the poor. Let their concern occupy some of our time. It will bring true meaning to our living and make us effective. Mother Teresa found this wisdom. In the midst of the poor we could find the hidden God and a meaning which none other material possession could give.

Some people have fear of meeting the poor and even hate their presence. Poor people sometimes cheat and manipulate due to their need and life struggles. As God-men we are called to have a special measure of compassion in understanding them.

One friar hit a poor man so hard on his face close to his ears that poor man became deaf. It was because he came to ask money again with the same lie filled grievance that he lacked money to feed his two daughters. This cruelty could be also due to the lack of inner healing and personal growth.

But we are called to look through the compassionate eyes of Jesus at the poor and there we will unearth a wonderful world of meaning and love. Jesus had deeper union with God the Father, a clear insight about the realities of life and closeness to the poor. Our Father St. Francis discovered the meaning of life by being closer to the poor, the needy and the lepers who were at the periphery. It is our turn to try something.

If someone says that he lost vigor and meaning in life invite him to go closer to the poor and needy. It will help him to get back the lost meaning and purpose in life. Let it become a reality in our lives.

I appreciate the good work done by community of St. Egidio for the poor and their readiness to stay close to the poor. It is amazing to see their ministry among the poor and the ease with which they befriend the needy. Whenever we have taken our friars there they were touched and inspired. It is a beautiful experience to be with the poor. Have you had the experience of being with the poor and needy? Recall that and praise God. If you have not, start thinking about such an experience with God’s grace and prepare. Try this experience at least once every month. And it will surely brighten your Capuchin religious life.

Some insights from these reflections would have inspired us. With God’s Spirit that is active in us let us try. A good Capuchin will have the poor and needy in all his deliberations, plans, celebrations, in his words, expressions and in prayer. Thoughtfulness for the poor and needy could be another indication of a true Franciscan. And in that way we could encounter the humble God. Do you have the poor & needy in your friendship circles? Do they have God’s love manifested through your love, closeness and generosity? Let the joy and the blessing of being with the poor and needy fill all of us during this Advent!

Charles Alphonse & Jaime Rey