20-second Summary
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus is quite clear about who will go to heaven, so we explore what it means to be poor in spirit, and it has nothing to do with our bank accounts! God provides through Scripture the exact meaning of what it is to be poor in spirit, and the encouragement we all need to have that attitude as we grow closer to Jesus and learn, from Him, who the Father is.
Catechesis At Home – Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
First Reading
Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth,
who have observed his law;
seek justice, seek humility;
perhaps you may be sheltered
on the day of the LORD’s anger.
But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:
the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
and speak no lies;
nor shall there be found in their mouths
a deceitful tongue;
they shall pasture and couch their flocks
with none to disturb them.
Responsorial Psalm
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow the LORD sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Second Reading
Not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful,
not many were of noble birth.
Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,
and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,
those who count for nothing,
to reduce to nothing those who are something,
so that no human being might boast before God.
It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who became for us wisdom from God,
as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,
so that, as it is written,
“Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.”
Gospel Reading
Alleluia
Rejoice and be glad;
your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”
Mass Readings are presented verbatim from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) web site in good faith accordance with its “Web and Other Digital Media Usage” guidelines. All Rights are reserved to the USCCB.
Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
REFLECTION – Poor in Spirit
The phrase Poor in Spirit can be confusing, especially when taken out of context or the “in spirit” part is left off. When we hear the word “poor” in modern society we automatically think of people who have very little money, or material things. This meaning of poor is not what Jesus is talking about in this part of the Sermon on the Mount. We can gain more understanding of what it means to be “poor in spirit” from the first three readings this week.
The prophet Zephaniah speaks of those who are humble and lowly, who speak the truth, and rely on God. The Psalmist praises God who brings justice, loves those who are powerless, and weak, and again who rely on Him for their needs. St. Paul exhorts the Corinthians, congratulating them on being regular, hard-working people, whom God has chosen to be His own. God uses these lowly, meek, and powerless (according to society) to be His heralds, His Chosen Ones, to bring the Light of Christ to the world!
Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount this week with the Beatitudes, which throws His listeners into confusion, because the exalts the people who most of society looks at with scorn – the poor in spirit, the meek, the peacemakers. When we are poor in spirit it means we are relying on God, not ourselves or our own understanding to work out our problems or our salvation. Those who are poor in spirit can be materially wealthy or highly educated, but it’s harder to be humble when one has so much. Jesus challenges us to make Him our focus and not the things of this world. And rely on Him and His Father in heaven to lead us into grace and Goodness, Truth, and Beauty. By putting aside all the things that distract us from Him, we become “Poor in Spirit.”
DISCUSSION – Becoming Poor in Spirit
How do we rely on God? Discuss with your family this week how you can do this individually and as a group. How can we rely on Him more? Humility and acknowledging He is our Creator, He is our Savior, and He is our Advocate are some ways to begin.
ACTIVITY – Poor in Spirit, Strong in Love
Relying on God doesn’t mean we don’t work, or do our chores. But it does mean we approach those with a new heart – doing the work of the family as a gift, offering the things we do not like to do, for His glory and honor we are growing in the virtue of Charity. This Charity is the greatest virtue and the one that Jesus shows best through His Sacrifice on the Cross. He relied on His heavenly Father throughout His Passion, to give Him the strength to go through with it. Use His example to call upon the name of the Lord when there are hard things to do. And ask Him to give you the virtue of Charity to accomplish it.
DIG DEEPER – Other Poor in Spirit resources from Holy Owned and Operated:
Page: Resources
TWMWU: The Jesus Prayer
TWMWU: God and Mammon
TWMWU: The Virtue of Humility
TWMWU: Words Matter
TWMWU: 1st Week of Lent – 40 Days in the Desert
Video: Encountering Christ in Your Everyday Life
Podcast: The Sacrament of Baptism – Episode 107
Podcast: Is Some Music Bad? – Episode 123
Podcast: The Sacred Role of Women in the Church – Episode 124
How do you remain Poor in Spirit?
by Beth & Kristofer Cowles
HOO™ Co-Founders
Other Help on HOO
Being On The Road To Perfection – Episode 166
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:32 — 22.6MB)
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We are called to be perfect, as we discussed last week.
So, what does being on the road to perfection look like?
If Jesus was “finished” and his ministry was “completed,” as it means when He said, “It is done,” by saying, “It is perfected” just before He died on the Cross, He must have walked a road to perfection.
And so must we.
In this episode we discuss that concept, in terms of what we are doing and how we respond to the call for our life.
It’s a simple concept, and a difficult task, but we have the example of Our Lord which, from the proper perspective, is not an impossible example to follow and exemplify.
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