The Poor and Christian Poverty Carlo Maria Martini, S.J.

Cardinal Archbishop of Milan The Scripture texts do not give us any details about Jesus' birth than that He was born on the outskirts of Bethlehem and was put in a manger that was used by the animals. The detail is repeated three times in Luke's Gospel, and provides us a discreet, but significant key to reading of the whole episode. The baby that is born in us, in a certain sense, like all other babies. It would be a search in vain to attempt to find any of Jesus' divine origins in the baby. But the extrordinary precariousness of His first bed, unacceptable even to the poor Bedouin shepherds who at least had a proper tent, makes as impression on all who accidentally pass by that manger or are called there by the heavenly voice. For evey person, even the unbeliever, this young family's lack of means and roof overhead is an invitation to open one's heart and home. For those who come with the eyes of faith, the crib is an unforgettable sign about what is and is not valuable in the eyes of God. There are many among us -- and I think of those who have been evicted from their homes or those who bear the faces of anonymous strangers (some very young) who spend their nights in bus and train stations -- who lack a home or work or any kind of security. There also are those whose house is not a home because of an atmosphere of hostility or indifference which seem to reign them. And there are many -- or better said, that we are many -- who profess a belief in Christ, and that the baby in the manger is the Master and Savior. But in the long run, many of us seem to embrace the practical value judgment of preferring "having" to "being." It is not a sin to have -even Jesus had a home, a job and a lifestyle which conformed to the people of His time. But it is a sin to make having the most important value in life. Everything -- personally, socially, politically and ecclesiastically should come under this principle.