Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

(A reflection on Matthew 5 Verse 3)

Who are the poor, in spirit?Do we want to be poor?
Are the poor people of the world, also the poor in spirit?
When we have nothing
(we are all born into the world this way),
then we are poor.
When we depend upon someone else in order for us to live,
then we are poor.
When we are small in this world,
we are the poorest of the poor.
Why are we blessed when we are poor?
The secular world in which we live in tells us that we are "lucky" and "privileged" when we are rich in possessions and education and have many "things". Seldom do we hear the words "blessed" referring to persons with great wealth or intelligence. Though we know in our hearts that this is truly the case: Blessed are we, for all things come from the hand of the Father, who feeds and nourishes and sustains us on this earth.

In order to be poor in spirit...
we must be trusting (like a child).
When was the last time we put our trust in God: to carry out His divine plan in our lives?
(Without us trying to get in the way, and do things our way?)
As we grow older, do we also grow less dependent on the Father because we believe more in our own self-imposed capacity to carry out all things as we believe them to be true?

let us begin each day with prayer...
Pray, pray, pray to the Father,
with the Son
and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit...
that we grow more trusting in Him who created us
and knows what we need at every moment in our lives...

let us be the small in this world in order to be the poorest of the poor.Our poverty will enable us to embrace one thing and one thing only:
the foot of the Cross.

In our true poverty, when we have nothing to loose or worry about losing...
God will reign.
This then, will be the true kingdom of heaven in our hearts.