Reflection:

The ‘poor in Spirit’ are those who are poor, oppressed by the rich and powerful, the needy, the humble, the lowly, and the pious. They are those who are so helpless that they are dependent on God alone, empty handed, waiting for God to deliver them. God cares passionately for the poor and in other parts of the Bible commands the rich and powerful to be generous and careful that they don’t abuse their power. Jesus lived this concern for the poor, he spent time with the social and religious outcasts, he commended the poor widow who placed her coin in the temple treasury and in this Beatitude, he announces God’s blessing and deliverance for those in need – for theirs is God’s Kingdom!

Those ‘who mourn’ – the deeply concerned, the grieving, the saddened – these are the ones that see their own sin and the great pain and trouble of the world and feel it. And they are blessed because they see the suffering, they see how far things are from the way God intended them to be, they witness the horror of human sinfulness – and they mourn. Our God, the God of comfort, sees our mourning and he responds with compassion. He promises comfort, for death and crying and pain will be no more.

Are you poor or powerful? How might that shape how you act? How can you be deeply dependent on God today? How can you be deeply grieved beside God today?

Prayer:

Father, thank you that you see those in need, those who are powerless, lowly and humble. Thank you that you will lift them up and deliver them. Keep those who are rich and powerful from abuse and from self-regard. Make everyone deeply dependent on you, our great King.

Father, I am saddened at the state of the world, at the sufferings of those near and far, of the evil that I do and the apathy I so often express. Father forgives me, have mercy upon me. Comfort me today and help me to comfort others. Amen.