Painting of Saint Francis of Assisi (1642) by Jusepe de Ribera. PUBLIC DOMAIN VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
LIKE anything human, poverty is ambivalent. It can be the cause of disappointment, frustration and even despair. This kind of poverty cannot be holy. It is also the reason that children die in infancy, that many cannot afford hospital and professional bills, that many litigants must be content with lawyers who hardly pay attention to their cases. This kind of poverty can be holy, but not necessarily so.