By John W. Lillpop
Recently, Pope Francis spoke about poverty and the obligation of faithful Christians to fight poverty with heart, soul, and…. wallet!
Specifically, during Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, Pope Francis said in part(See reference):
Being fully Christian means being rich in spirit, faith, the Word, wisdom and zeal — things that Jesus has taught and offered all people, he said. Make sure, however, that this huge amount of "wealth in the heart" also impacts the wallet, he said, because "when the faith doesn’t reach your pockets, it is not a genuine faith."
Christian giving goes beyond plain charity, which is good, but isn’t the "Christian poverty" believers are called to embrace, he said. "Christian poverty is: I give to the poor what is mine, not the excess, but also what is necessary" for one’s own well-being…
In other words, one must give until they are also poor!
With all due respect to His Holiness, pronouncements such as this would have more legitimacy if the gold and silver sequestered in the dungeons of the Vatican basement were exhumed and donated, in whole, to charitable organizations certified as genuinely dedicated to ending world hunger and poverty, especially among children.
And, no, donations to the Clinton Foundation, including $700 hundred thousand dollar speeches spilling from the lying lips of Bill Clinton would not qualify as spiritual manna for IRS purposes!
Reference: http://sweetness-light.com/archive/pope-give-until-you-are-poor-but-hes-not-a-commie
