Luke 6:17, 20-26
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”
In the Beatitudes, Jesus proclaims blessings on those who are poor not just in terms of possessions, but also in sustenance, mirth, and honor. When we give up these basic necessities and rely totally on God, we are granted greater blessings than we could gain for ourselves.
In American society, poverty is often something looked on as a worst-case scenario. Many of us exercise concern for the poor, but we do everything to keep ourselves from becoming so. Our needs are not so basic, revolving around having enough material possessions to be comfortable. Yet in order to appreciate being filled, we must first know what it is to be hungry. Laughter is all the sweeter when we have known what it is to mourn. And to be welcomed carries so much more meaning when we have known what it is to be rejected.
The idea that we should not only care for the poor but also be the poor is a difficult one, but it is the best way to combat greed, gluttony, pride, and other vices. When we are comfortable in our riches, it is harder to give them up, even for the good of others.
In recent months, I have personally experienced the blessing of hunger. Health conditions limited what I could eat and affected my appetite, my mood, and my energy levels. At first I struggled through this experience, worrying about what my life might look like for years to come. Eventually, I learned the grace of living day to day, of giving up my creature comforts and handing them over to God. Through this suffering, I was able to appreciate the gifts God had given me, even the gift of simply being. Moreover, Jesus gives me hope that He has a plan for me to be filled and satisfied.
Jesus calls each of us to seek poverty where we are able. While offering comfort to those who are in poverty through no fault of their own, He also hopes that we will choose to enter into poverty of spirit, so that we may grow closer to Him.
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