Beautiful article at Canticle Magazine

If life is like a journey through mountains and meadows, deserts and gardens, then the saints are like guideposts along the path. While family, friends, and acquaintances may not always be able to keep us pointed in the right direction, we can count on our brothers and sisters in Christ who have already reached their goal and ours: Heaven.

Not all of us are called to this sort of poverty. However, we can all learn from his example, not just by giving away our money to worthy causes, but by giving ourselves more completely to the Lord every day. Just as a mother may give some or all of her lunch to her child (happy that the child is eating something for once!), so we can learn to give joyfully of ourselves to the Lord in little ways. Giving away unnecessary things that give us pleasure can help us realize how little we need them and how many blessings the Lord has already given us.

For example, a wife may be tempted to volunteer for every needy cause (or at least the ones she likes) at the expense of her husband and family. Helping others sounds like such a good, Christian thing to do, but often we are simply seeking people to help because theyÍre easier than the ones we live with! In seeking to secape the trials of our particular calling, weÍve made the same mistake as JohnÍs accusers, although probably not as seriously. The key is to remember our own calling, whatever that may be.