The Beatitudes: Enriching yourself with poverty

Aimed especially at young people the @steemchurch, the second editorial on the Beatitudes faces the Lord's counsel: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

The panorama from the top of that small mountain must have been overwhelming. Hundreds of people had come to the Galilee because they wanted to meet this new prophet who was talked about so much and who apparently preached wonders. The Lord would see them coming slowly up the hill and, at last, when the silence fell, he began to speak with a powerful voice: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

The poor? Among those who listened to him, many were really poor; they had come there because they suffered poverty and well knew that it is not desirable: God wants us to have good things to eat, a decent place to live and enjoy the necessary comforts. However, the Lord reveals to us that there is a type of poverty that is worth looking for.

The "poverty of spirit" seems to be a necessary condition for the other beatitudes to become a reality. Therefore, it is not by chance that the Lord proposes it at the beginning of his speech, before all the others, so that it serves as a firm base on which to build a great and beautiful life. But what exactly is it to be poor in spirit?

God only knows how to give

Jesus walked on another occasion through a city and everyone wanted to reach Him. The apostles insisted on opening the way for him to cross the crowd that had thrown themselves into the street to meet the famous Rabbi. Squeezed between those enthusiasts, a woman spent her few strength to reach the Lord. The mass shook her everywhere. As we know, she was weak and sick, because for several years she had lost blood and had spent all her money on doctors who had not known how to cure her. Without health or money, Jesus represents for her his last hope.

Surely, before seeing the Lord, that woman would have accepted her illness by placing herself in the hands of God. Almost as an immediate response from heaven, the Messiah was passing through his city that day. For that reason, I was convinced that in Him I was going to find the solution I wanted so much. In this way, without great discourses, simply trusting in God, he manages to tear from the Master the strength that heals him from his ills.

This woman is an example of poverty in spirit, because she has placed all her faith in the Lord. He was poor and he knew that she did not give anymore. Everything he needed he had to accept as a gift. Like her, the poor in spirit are those who trust completely in God, because they understand that He only knows how to give and, if he takes something away, it is to make more space for his gifts in our life. Had that lady struggled to touch God so strongly, if she had not lost confidence in everything else? Probably not. Therefore, poverty can come or will have to be sought: in any case, it is necessary to be willing to lose everything to earn what is truly worthwhile, that is, to become poor so that God will make us rich. Therefore, the next question is: what should I do without to be poor?

THE POOR OF SPIRIT IS THAT WHO FULLY TRUSTS GOD, BECAUSE HE UNDERSTANDS THAT HE ALONE KNOWS TO GIVE AND, IF HE REMOVES SOMETHING, IT IS TO MAKE MORE SPACE TO HIS GIFTS IN OUR LIFE.

There is another poverty, perhaps even more important: it is the inner poverty, the humility of those who know each other well and know that without God it is worth very little. Who, on the contrary, is very sure of himself and does not accept help from anyone is similar to many of the scribes and Pharisees, characters to whom Jesus had to face. They had an answer for everything, and never ask for help or ask questions with sincere interest or recognize their own doubts or weaknesses.

God only knows how to give, we said before, but we must be willing to receive. Also we can sometimes cling to an opinion, be stubborn, not give our arm to twist or not humbly recognize that we are wrong. On the other hand, as we know that the Lord helps those who want to be surprised, it is good to ask for advice, to learn to listen, to accept with simplicity the suggestions made by those who want to help us. «Let them know how you are and despise you. Do not be embarrassed to be anything, because in this way Jesus has to put everything in you ", advised Saint Josemaría. God himself will help us if we approach the sacraments or the reading of the Word of God, even if we think that it is not what we need at this moment in our lives.

@SirKnight leader of Steemchurch, with the purpose of spreading the word of God to all corners of the world.

"He who has a free heart and detached from the things of the world says: @SirKnight, knight led by God, leader of the church of STEEMCHURCH, that person is" expected "in the Kingdom of Heaven». Material poverty and inner poverty: only then will we be prepared to continue to listen carefully to the Lord without other distractions or worries on the Mount of Galilee, together with the apostles. Poor in spirit, free of consumerism and arrogance, we will be able to open ourselves without conditions to the happiness that the other Beatitudes promise us.