POOR IN SPIRIT

 “SPRINGS OF LIVING WATER”

Daily Spiritual Reflections

1st November 2021

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MONDAY, THIRTY FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Solemnity of All Saints

Rev 7: 2-4, 9-14; Ps 24: 1-6; 1 Jn 3: 1-3; Mt 5: 1-12 

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POOR IN SPIRIT

Today we celebrate the solemnity of All Saints, rejoicing for all saints proclaimed by the Church, and all those thousands of unproclaimed saints forgotten by everyone but not by God, and who all now gaze at the splendour of the Holy Trinity. 

We use different measuring standards for different things. Solids and liquids are not measured with the same units of measurement. Similarly, today’s society has developed different scales to measure the greatness or success of people. Some of the measuring scales that we use to gauge the success of people are money, possessions, power, positions, medals, acknowledgement from the universities and acclaimed personalities, etc. People normally aspire to these things, as achieving them is seen as the way to happiness. 

In today’s Gospel Jesus reveals the secret to true happiness. He presents eight beatitudes. None of the eight paths marked by Jesus is accepted as the source of happiness in the logic of the world. The poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and those persecuted for righteousness sake are hardly considered as our role models. But, Jesus reiterates that it is they who will have the happiness that lasts. 

In the Old Testament, Yahweh identified himself as the God of the poor. The word ‘poor’ in Hebrew is anavim. Before the Babylonian captivity (587-538 BC), only the economically poor, especially the orphans and widows – the least, last, and the lost – were referred to as anavim. But during and after the captivity, the whole people of Israel were referred to as the ‘anavim of Yahweh’, ‘the poor of God’, because they were homeless, without the temple, country, army, wealth, dignity, etc. In this condition, they realized their need for God. These are the ‘poor in spirit’ of the Beatitudes. True spiritual life begins with such a realization. The ‘poor in spirit’ are those whose hearts are detached from worldly riches. As a result, on the one hand, they can make use of their riches for any kind of need; and on the other, they can accept with equanimity when they are deprived of them. 

Perhaps inspired by this beatitude, St John of the Cross, the 16th century Carmelite, in his third book of the Ascent of Mount Carmel deals elaborately with six kinds of goods – temporal, natural, sensory, moral, supernatural, and spiritual – and the harm they can cause if one takes pleasure in them. Though these goods are good in themselves – for their author is God – placing one’s heart on them or finding joy in them can hinder his/her spiritual progress. That is why we find so many people (including priests and religious) who start their spiritual life with much interest and enthusiasm, making vows, renouncing worldly wealth and pleasure, but ending up being enslaved to small insignificant things. St John of the Cross says: “Live in the world as if only God and your soul were in it; then your heart will never be made captive by any earthly thing. ...Cast your care upon God for you are His and He will not forget you. Do not think that He is leaving you alone, for that would be to wrong Him.”

Living the beatitudes today is equal to swimming against the flowing current: it requires great skill, stamina and, most importantly conviction. Since this type of life is not glamorous, one can very easily get distracted and dissipated and as a result, give up gradually. The supreme command – “You must love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength” (Dt 6:5) – can be lived only when one can practise the beatitudes. Does practising the beatitudes imply being sad and sullen? Not at all. It is nothing but living with the conviction of our union with God. It is the result of always living in the presence of God. We are called to live in his presence not just after death, but every moment of our life. None of the saints were exempt from trials and tribulations – both internal and external. But they managed to cling to God. May we be gripped by the true beatitude – the Lord, that we might find the real joy in practising these beatitudes until we reach our final destiny.

Response: These are the people who seek your face, O Lord.

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