Be Poor

Blessed is the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. I believe this is what today’s readings emphasize.

The first reading says that the poor in the world is rich in faith. Why? Because they are not proud, they know that they need to hang on to God for survival. Their day to day existence is a blessing, a miracle. Day to day, they use their faith, trusting that God will provide for everything. They don’t have savings in the bank, a good career, wealthy parents that assure them they will survive. They have nothing on their own that they can rely on, that’s why they rely totally on God.

The psalmist says that the Lord hears the cry of the poor. Again, because they have total surrender, they have total faith in God. That’s why the poor in spirit are blessed, because they have complete faith in God. They get their nourishment from God alone. This is what God wants from us – he wants us to be poor, especially in spirit, and rely totally on Him. He wants us to let go of all things, all the false security in this world, that prevent us from totally relying on Him. A good career, money, influence and intelligence are in themselves not evil. However, if these things take the place of God in our lives, and prevent God from working in our lives, we must let these go. Peter, who was probably just concerned about Jesus, was rebuked in the gospel, because what he was thinking was not in accordance with God’s plan.

May we take extra steps today to be poor in spirit and totally rely on God. As we slowly live this way, may we realize who Jesus is in our lives, and be one with Peter in declaring “You are the Christ”

God bless!