Zeph. 2:3; 3:12-13; Ps. 146:6-10; 1 Cor. 1:26-31; Mt.5:1-12a

“Blessed are the poor in spirit!”  Who are the poor in spirit?  It begins with a clear vision of God and that we are not a god.  We are created in the image of God by his love.  God is the creator and the breath of life from which we get our identity by the graces we receive from him.  God provides the riches of heaven while we suffer the poverty of soul as we recognize our need and dependence on God.  It is in this state in which the soul clings to the Lord and surrenders to his will that we gain our riches as we come to him as poor sinners. 

The poor in spirit are the humble of the earth.  The humble take refuge in God in who they trust.  Humility is seen as a weakness by human standards but humility is the courage to stand for the truth not with the armor of the sword but with the armor of love.  God so loved the word he humbled himself in order to reveal himself in his Son that the truth may set us free.  Jesus humbled himself accepting death on the cross with great pain to set the captive of sin free.  Humility is the courage to sacrifice oneself for the other. 

The proud look to themselves as the source of power, control, and achievement.  The attitude of the proud who believe in God is that God placed them on earth to subdue to world and is looking down upon them detached from their actions and it all depends on them.  Keeping God at a distance provides a license to justify one’s own actions based a self-defined “truth”, self-guided conscience and a false sense of freedom.  That is until the walls come crumbing down and we are humbled and recognize our poverty of spirit without God. 

We have heard it said to act as if it all depends on us but trust as if it all depends on God.  The problem is that there is a tendency to fall into one or the other side of this statement.  We either believe it is all us and we keep God at a distance or we feel helpless waiting for God fearful to take the next step.  God works with us, through us, and in us, that is in relationship by our union to him.  The unity with God is not static but dynamic as we are reminded in the song, “just a closer walk with thee”.  The is our spiritual communion to be of one with the Lord as we go forth in the world. 

Thus, to be humble requires great love.  The signs of love are patience, kindness, forgiveness, gentleness and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  The humble of the earth recognize that there is a greater truth that comes from God and it is this truth that has resulted in a history of great martyrdom.  The courage to live and die for the truth is the surrender of our own life in the same image of Christ crucified. 

We are reminded by the words of St. Paul “Consider your own calling brothers and sisters” to ask ourselves what is my calling from God?   The call is a call to sacrifice for the love of another.  It is a reminder that the last shall be first because they placed the concern for the other before their own self.  It is in giving and offering ourselves to the Lord that we receive the promise of eternal glory.  The Beatitudes remind us of this sacrifice we are to live in which we empty ourselves for the greater good not by our own power but by the grace from God who is leading us by his righteousness. Blessed are you who respond to this calling for your reward will be great in heaven.  The blessings we receive today cannot compare to what is waiting in eternity.