He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Who are the poor in spirit? Are you poor in spirit? Are you among those Jesus calls blessed who will inherit the kingdom of heaven? In the Old Testament, the poor in spirit were those who simply lived in physical poverty and remained entrusted to God. Those who suffered the loss of material possessions and lived without the comfort of security or basic material needs but who remained confident that somehow God would provide what they truly needed and rejoiced in that knowledge. The poor in spirit were those who trusted in the providence of God and remained dependent on God for everything. Jesus was poor in spirit because He simply was poor. He was born poor. He entered into this world in such poverty that there was no room for His family in the inn or in any residence. With creation and with His creatures, He laid sleeping. Jesus would live out this reality throughout His adult life and throughout His public ministry for He Himself said, “The Son of Man has nowhere to rest His head.” Jesus also modeled for us the spirituality of being poor by being poor in spirit through His helplessness and total dependency on the Father for all things and in all circumstances. Jesus showed and imitated for us blessed-ness and beloved-ness by simply submitting His will to the Father’s will, commending His spirit into the Father’s Spirit, and surrendering His life into the Father’s confidence, trust and divine love. The New Testament invites us all to be and become spiritually poor like Jesus. Like those called blessed in the eyes of God. Like those who inherit and become heirs to the kingdom of God by becoming meek and humble of heart like Jesus by simply believing God always provides, He always does, He always has, He always will. In God alone can we truly trust for only God in His own spiritual poverty provides the love we truly need. Only God can love us so much with a tender love that truly enriches us in our poverty and even enriches us when we seem to have everything this world offers us. God makes Himself physically and spiritually poor so that we can inherit and enter His kingdom and His loving presence. Jesus humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross. Blessed in His beloved eyes and truly rich in His amazing grace are the poor in spirit for God provides what they truly need.
