A certain realism is necessary to fulfill a call to work and live among the poor. You have to accept your own history and limitations. You have to remind yourself that Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor,” not blessed are those who try to help the poor. At the same time, you have to deal with the gospel call to downward mobility, accepting that the way of Christ is a self-emptying way. What that means in your own concrete situation will probably remain a lifelong question.
