Thought of the Day July 11, 2019 Blessed are the poor in spirit
"Blessed are the poor in spirit...."
The
word “poor” in biblical Greek refers to one who is a destitute, who
survives
by begging. The character of Lazarus in the parable of Lazarus
and
the rich man comes to mind. “And there was a certain beggar,
named
Lazarus, who lay at his gate, covered with sores, wanting to be
filled
with the crumbs which were falling from the wealthy man’s table.
But
no one gave it to him. And even the dogs came and licked his
sores.”
(Luke 16:20-21) Is this the role model we are called to embrace
in
responding to this Beatitude? No.
The
Hebrew word for “poor” is more in line with Jesus’ thought. The
“anawin”
are the poor who depend upon God’s providential care for
everything. The character of
the poor widow who contributed out of her need in contrast to those who gave
out of their surplus is an example.
Totally
dependent, God alone was her hope. Are we so dependent upon
God?
In
the words of Pope Francis: “(Anawim) suggests lowliness, a sense of
one’s
limitations and existential poverty. The anawim trust in the Lord,
and
they know that they can count on him.”
He
goes on to say: “When the Son of God became man, he chose the path of poverty
and self-emptying. As Saint Paul said in his letter to the Philippians: “Let
the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the
form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied
himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in human likeness” (2:5-7).
Jesus is God who strips himself of his glory. Here we see God’s choice to be poor:
he was rich and yet he became poor in order to enrich us through his poverty
(cf. 2 Cor 8:9).” (Pope Francis)
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