Blessed are the Poor In Spirit
To me the poor in spirit
means humility. To be humble or truly gracious, and who do we know was truly
humble, truly gracious? Except Him who left His natural home and life
in order to assume a lesser condition.
He left His place of History, glory, to enter into our history and carve for us
a road leading back to His own history.
You know at Christmas I have
often sorrowed over the fact that when He came and walked among us He couldn’t
even find a place to stay in. A roof to cover His head, yet now I believe this
to be a wrong thought. Can you imagine
He who created the universe couldn’t create a mansion if that is what He
wanted? No! He knew and prepared that shelter, that cave
from all eternity. What earthly mansion
could contain the glories of heaven?
None of course! He was and is
heaven’s glory.
“Blessed are the humble” He who was all glory became lower than His
own creations even lower than His own
angels in order that His own creation may aspire to the perfection of holiness
and attain and see the same glories. God face to face.
For a period of time He
became as a “pauper” (Him whom by nature is Lord and King) in order that He may
teach and lead the pauper out of his shabby and dark world.
For a time He who was all
became much less so that others might have much much more. Surely that is not the way of men but the way
of God.
Can you imagine, if He had
been born in different circumstances, the human person being so fallen would
have had no hesitation in telling (when He spoke of poverty of spirit and
poverty of material goods) that He didn’t know what He spoke about and if He
had been a palace born, a palace
dweller, how would non palace dwellers (which is most of humanity) be able to
relate to Him? Can you imagine someone
speaking up and saying “you don’t know what you are talking about, you were
born a King and you have never gone without? You cannot have any empathy with
us.” This could not be said of Him who
is all but became lower so that He could have empathy.
So it is important to see
that from all time His Father had assessed and determined the place, manner and
time of his birth. It was no accidental
birth which saw him born in so lowly a place.
He who was ALL had to be born the lowliest in order that rebellious
mankind may learn. No magnificent
eloquence on His part would have convinced His listeners and us, but His example,
bearing, lifestyle and words would.
This was the divine pedagogy used to teach and show us that His
love is so great, His compassion so limitless. His understanding so complete,
that by following His ways will lead to that place where He will show Himself
to us as He really is.
Humility means “be less” and
aspire to great heights by His way.