the wealth of poverty

St Ephrem talks to us about poverty today in A Year with the Church Fathers. He tells us that those with lots of possessions are actually very poor, because they are owned by what they own and their owner is a slave driver. Anyone who owns a swimming pool knows how true this is. (The last sentence is said tongue in cheek, but it points to a truth.)

When we talk about poverty being good for us, or we consider the orders of religious who take vows of poverty, it's important to describe what we mean. This doesn't mean squalor and debilitation... it means living simply. It means not having so much that it leads us away from Him. Sometimes our wealth is not so much in money as it is in distractions. Do you feel like you need to limit your distractions so you can live more simply?

Here is a website that talks about learning to live more simply. It has many good recommendations.  And here is a site that gives you seven very good reasons to simplify your life.

I could go on, but I think I'll keep it simple today. What are three steps you can take to simplify your life today?

God, thanks for teaching us the wealth of simplicity.