A pauper’s oath is a sworn statement or oath by a person that he or she is completely destitute or a pauper, i.e. without any money or property.
A person without the ability to pay court costs has the option to swear a pauper’s oath in order to file a lawsuit without paying filing fees. Prisoners filing legal actions often use a pauper’s oath because persons in prison are often completely without money or any means of acquiring any.
Historically, especially during the Great Depression, the pauper’s oath was required as a prerequisite for receiving welfare or other forms of government relief in the United States.
One pauper’s oath used when establishing indigent status under United States Federal law is as follows.
“I do solemnly swear that I have not any property, real or personal, exceeding $20, except such as is by law exempt from being taken on civil process for debt; and that I have no property in any way conveyed or concealed, or in any way disposed of, for my future use or benefit. So help me God.”
18 U.S.C. § 3569
Have I thought of myself as a pauper as above? It sort of puts it in perspective for me. I was complaining that I might have missed a few meals and that all of my bills are paid and I have no real debt. Then I read what I find in the Wiki . What is real suffering really like? My friend in Shapevine is in a wheelchair: is that suffering? My other friends, missionaries ask for funds for their flocks to feed and cloth them. Is that suffering? Tony Campollo stated that 35,000 children starve to death daily! And that most Americans don’t really give a patutty! (other word used) I have got to go and find out!! I have to be exposed to what real suffering is to me and my world. I have always felt that I want to travel and bring back the stories. Why don’t we see the sufferings of the war on TV? We see everything else. How about the truth as perceived on our comfortable sofas watching the evening news and worrying about our refunds from Uncle Sam and a possible recession looming?
It would seem to me that the worst kind of suffering would be knowing that we as individuals could have done something!
My wife’s step-mother, a wonderful person, died this past week-end and we had to fly my wife to and from St Louis. Her father Ron is suffering now for sure after losing his partner of almost 30 years. Kay,my wife, is there with our 2 adult children and Kay’s brothers and sister to support their dad who has always felt he had failed them as their father because of the divorce to their mother. Their ,then, family was an unholy mess but Ron always did what he thought was the right thing. He fathered five children with a woman he married because he felt it was the right thing to do after he had impregnated their mother out of wedlock. He gave up a much desired education from moving to Oregon and back to Michigan to help his mother in her aging years. He did the right thing.
He married Mickey, an RN, after he settled in Michigan and they built a life for themselves.They are the only grandparents my kids have ever known! He was great to us and always gave us money for the trip home back to Indiana at the time. Which I never let on that we had no money to get back home! He built two homes in Michigan and had the 2nd paid for in their retirement. He, again, did the riight thing assuming he would be the first to go.
One of my greatest joys in going to “grandPa’s” house was to head for the basement to find every book or magazine they had ever read! They were everywhere. Most were on a dozen book shelves but there was a gold mine of old National Geographic, nursing magazines, Popular Mechanics ( my favorite), flying periodicals and many old farm magizines for the reading! It was a special musty cavern entertaining me for hours.
There are many other memories stored in my brain, but I pause because Ron is suffering now! And I have a tight spot in my throat and a with-held tear for him! Maybe suffering is something shared! That is the sin! That we don’t share in the suffering of others.
I don’t know how I got from poverty to a funeral, but I wrote it for what ever reason. Pray for my father-in-law and his now suffering.
Please make comments!
