SPIRITUAL POVERTY/ POVERTY IN SPIRIT

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE

SPIRITUAL POVERTY/ POVERTY IN SPIRIT

“BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT, FOR THEIR IS
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” [ Matthew 5:3].

Saint Theophylact writes, “First, He lays down humility as a foundation. Since Adam fell through pride, Christ raises us up by humility; for Adam had aspired to become God. The “POUR IN SPIRIT” are those whose pride is crushed and who are contrite in soul.”

The Beatitudes offered by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is one of the greatest sources of Orthodox Christian spirituality. We find them in the gospel of Saint Matthew, chapter 5. The people are taught by Jesus Himself. “And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them…” [5:1]. “The “mountain” is a place where Divine action enters human history, the place where God reveals Himself to man. “Seated” is the traditional Jewish position for teaching with authority. Some early Christian preachers (for example, Saint John Chrysostom) sat while the people stood.

The Sermon on the Mount [Matthew 5-7], Jesus Christ introduces the kind of life those who seek the Kingdom of God must lead. His Divine Homily could properly be called, “The Righteousness of the Kingdom.” The sermon begins with the Beatitudes (the “Blessings”), describing the joys of true Discipleship, the blessed way of life. The people of God await the rewards of the promises Jesus makes. Then, as the Son of God, whose authority is greater than Moses’, Christ proclaims the new law, the Righteousness leading toward perfection, to which the Mosaic Law and the Prophets pointed. Jesus reveals the deeper meaning of several Old Testament laws, broadening their implications.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven” [v. 3]. “Blessed” in this context indicates heavenly spiritual exaltation rather than earthly happiness or prosperity. In Hebrew “POOR ” means both (1) the materially poor and (2) the faithful among God’s people. The “poor in spirit” are those who have the heart of the poor, the same attitudes as the poor, and are totally dependent on God. As one progresses in spirit he/she grows spiritually and attains spiritual maturity. When we think of a dependent, we think of a child, who depends totally on his parents for everything. Spiritually speaking, we are taught that when one matures spiritually, he/she becomes more and more like a child and therefore becomes more dependent on God for everything. One also becomes truly humble and lowly, having the heart of the poor and their dependence upon the Divine Creator. These are truly the “spiritually rich.”

The spiritually poor are more compassionate, more sensitive to the needs of others, more loving and selfless, and more kind. They feel the anguish and pain of those who are suffering and are destitute in the world. They act with great kindness and gentleness with those who face the cruelty of those in authority. They emulate Christ’s example of humility,charity, unconditional love, and forgiveness and strive always to provide the same righteousness as He, and embrace all those forgotten, as the children of God. To say as the psalmist, “You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; The sacrifice of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart–these, O God, You will not despise” [Psalm 50[51]:16-17].

The poor in spirit are the children of God and who uphold God’s truth and refuse to compromise with the ways of the world. They give themselves to no other. It is not surprising then that they, like Jesus, should be persecuted for righteousness’ sake. For Christ’s Kingdom is the crown awaiting the righteous. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is calling us to be set free from anxiety about earthly things. Jesus directs us to look to heaven, to this greater “country” which will be received at the Day of the Lord, secure in the faith that God will provide needed earthly blessings.

The greater our faith, the greater is our commitment to our God and Savior Jesus Christ. The poor in spirit are like the good trees who produce good fruit. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” [Matthew 7:18]. Their life revolves around the Master Christ Who guides their every good action. Discipleship is radical self-denial, a total offering of oneself to God. This, of course, implies readiness to give-up their possessions that stand in the way of following Christ. We are reminded of this in the gospel of Saint Luke 18:22, when Jesus said to the rich young man: “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow Me.”

The poor in spirit have their sights on Christ and are not attached to worldly things. They seek the heavenly treasures rather than the worldly ones. A follower of Christ works hard for loving relationships toward all, but his/her commitment to God carries absolute priority even over family ties. Nothing takes precedence over God and God’s will. True quality of discipleship is not easy. Without it, a disciple becomes as useless as salt without seasoning power. It is essential for a Christian disciple to be trustworthy in small as well as in great things. The poor in spirit believe that they have nothing of their own and that every good thing comes from above. In the Divine Liturgy we are reminded of it when we hear the priest say, “Thine own of Thine own, we offer to Thee, in all (time) and for all (kindness to us).

Being poor in spirit is admitting our sinfulness and our unworthiness. Jesus is saying no matter who you are you must acknowledge your spiritual poverty before you can approach God in faith to receive the heavenly rewards. The believer must be devoid of any pride and repent of his/her sins and seek reconciliation with Him. Christian life is a response to God’s initiative. “Blessed in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing” [Ephesians 1:3]. We can only understand that fact only if we are enlightened by God. This is why in our Orthodox Church before we read the gospel we entreat the Lord and say: “illumine our hearts, O Master Who loves mankind, with the pure Light of Thine Divine knowledge.”

In our effort to do good works we must be very careful that they are not “dead” works but “living works.” Dead works are works which are evil, such as murder, adultery, robbery etc. Living works are deeds which are both good in themselves and done for a good purpose to glorify God. We are warned by Saint Maximos the Confessor, writing in the seventh century concerning dead works:

“Many human activities, good in themselves, are not good because of the motive for which they are done. For example, fasting, vigils, prayer, psalmody, (the singing of hymns), acts of charity and hospitality are by nature good.  But when performed for the sake of self-esteem (vainglory, self-glorification), they are not good.  In everything we do, God searches out our purpose to see whether we do it for Him or for some other motive… quite clearly He bestows blessings only when something is done for the right purpose.  For God’s judgment looks not at the actions, but at the purpose behind them.”

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“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George