The Blessing of Dominican Poverty
The following are excerpts from “Dominican Poverty: A Somewhat Radical Reflection,” an article written in 1990 by Sister Mary Ellen Butcher, OP (Paschal, deceased). She served as the Congregation’s general finance officer, 1976–1985, and the executive director of the National Association of Treasurers of Religious Institutes, 1988–1992.
We [Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters] are part of religious institutes in the Western world, institutes whose members are aging rapidly, whose numbers are diminishing, who are faced with the very real problem of providing for the future of their life and mission from a fundamentally inadequate earnings base. What does our vow of poverty mean in the context of this reality of religious life?
St. Catherine of Siena by Sr. Guala O’Connor (deceased)We are part of an Order that has called itself mendicant, an Order whose founder [St. Dominic] left a bequest of voluntary poverty to his followers as a partner to their preaching, as a sign of the authenticity, the credibility of that preaching. What does our vow of poverty mean in the context of this Dominican charism? . . .
This search for simplicity has been a significant part of our renewal. Seeking to have less in a world where more is the norm gives us a different perspective on that world, a perspective of radical critique. Reducing the clutter in our lives makes us more mobile, more ready to respond to mission. Stripping ourselves of what is not essential frees us for God and for neighbor, enables us to appreciate more deeply the simple gifts of beauty and truth and goodness. . . .
The common life means that local communities view their collective resources not as their own, but as part of the common resources of the larger congregation. . . . This demands responsible decision-making. . . . The common life is not a game for those who would manipulate the system; it is an adult enterprise for those who are willing to give of themselves, who are willing to be free. . . . It is important to remember that the common life involves far more than money, far more than material resources. As Dominicans, we have been brought up on the tradition of contemplating and sharing with others the fruits of our contemplation. We know that just as the contemplating involves the whole of ourselves, so does the sharing. All of the gifts of mind and heart that we have received in love, we are asked to give in love. [St.] Catherine [of Siena] speaks to this in her Dialogue (Ch. 2, Section 7):
I could have supplied each of you with all of your needs, both spiritual and material. But I wanted to make you dependent on one another so that each of you would be my minister, dispensing the graces and gifts you have received from me. . . .
All are called to give of their gifts to the common mission, but the call differs with the gift and with the giftedness of each person. All are called to give of their gifts, but the gift and the call differ at different stages of each one’s life. . . .
Living this kind of common life is high-risk living. We lose control. We do not feather our own nest. We throw in our lot with the prophet. We let go in gospel trust and gospel freedom as did [St.] Dominic and [St.] Catherine, as did the widow Jesus saw in the temple. Jesus praised the widow who “gave everything she had to live on,” and Jesus’ praise is blessing. Standing with that widow in her poverty and her free letting go, standing in her shoes, in her now, we too do not know the end of the story. We only know the blessing.