Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit . . . .
(By Fr. Dexter Brereton)
One of the peculiar features of Matthews Gospel is that it is divided up into five sections like the five books of Moses. In fact Matthew’s Christology (his teaching on Jesus the Christ) draws a parallel between Moses, the great prophet of the Old Testament, and Jesus who is the new and ‘better’ Moses. The location of this Sermon therefore, is of great significance. In the bible, the Mountain is the place where the prophets and others encounter the living God and it is from the mountainside that Jesus delivers these words of life.
For our meditation today, the Church gives us that section of the Sermon on the Mount which in some sense summarizes the whole of the Sermon – the beatitudes. The beatitude: a statement about those who are blessed are delivered in the form of “paradoxes.” A paradox refers to any situation or reality in which two things, apparently opposed are both true at the same time. Each is a condition for the other. It is a mistake to think that one is a reward for the other. For example, we may say “the moment when we are born is the moment we begin to die”. In the bible we may say “for him, death was the beginning of life,” or “the ending was a new beginning” or “the last shall be first” and so on.
We are encouraged to enter the beatitudes not with our heads, but through a remembering of our own experiences, and our memories of people that we know who have lived these paradoxes. For myself, I normally find it sufficient to meditate on just the first beatitude which summarizes all the others, but you are all free to meditate on anyone which touches your heart. “How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The basic meaning of “poor in spirit” is those whose condition demands absolute dependence on God. “Kingdom of Heaven” here may be taken as ‘true fulfillment.’ I might render this beatitude this way: “in letting go of everything, we come to possess all things.” I have known people in life who have a great sense of fulfillment because they have let go of everything that does not bring true fulfillment. In their letting go of possessions, or the desire for wealth, or a promotion, or social position, they come to a great degree of peace and fulfillment. Their lives become enriched as never before. Those who know that God supplies all their needs, know that they have everything that they will ever need.
Yesterday I received the news of a friend, a teacher of mine who, during an operation to insert a stent, was discovered to be probably afflicted with cancer. Her family tells me, to see her, you would never know her life is in such a serious place. She continues to get up, go to the office, and fulfill her duties, all in the midst of great pain. Here is the story of someone whose life has found great richness and meaning because she has let go of everything, including her own natural fear of dying. And in letting go of her fear, she has come to possess “true” life. May our lives be continually blessed with such persons.
