Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This beatitude preserves a bit of wisdom which our Victim Culture tends to overlook: namely, just because you are poor doesn't mean you are automatically holy. To be sure, the Gospel calls us to recognize in the face of the poor the face of Christ. Similarly, it calls us to see in the suffering the sufferings of Jesus. But, as we ourselves know when we suffer, it is not the case that merely being in pain makes us disposed to hear and obey the Holy Spirit. Hitler suffered too. He was not transformed into a saint. Similarly, there are times of poverty in our lives (not just financial, but emotional as well). But merely being poor is no guarantee of our sanctity. Rather we must recognize poverty as a great opportunity, for it calls us to be not just poor, but poor in spirit. If we acknowledge our poverty of spirit and look to God to fill our need we shall be blessed indeed!
