The Beatitudes – the Poor
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Luke 6:20
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The Beatitudes – the Poor
Just like at the Sermon on the Mount, the first words Jesus speaks here on the Sermon on the Plain are blessings. “Blessed are the poor.” This seems to be a counterintuitive statement. Not all the poor are blessed, for poverty is neutral. The poor can be either good or evil unless, perhaps, the blessed poor are to be understood as those whom the prophet described, saying, “A righteous poor man is better than a rich liar.” Those blessed poor are the poor who cried out, and the Lord heard. They are blessed who are poor in sin. They are blessed who are poor in vices. They are blessed when the prince of this world finds nothing in them. They are blessed who are like that poor Man who, although He was rich, became poor for our sake. In this beatitude, we seek to be this poor by laying aside every sin, taking off all malice, and being content with simplicity, poor of evils. And it is only through Christ and His righteousness that we have this blessed poverty. May we never become rich in the eyes of this world.
Luke 6:20
+
The Beatitudes – the Poor
Just like at the Sermon on the Mount, the first words Jesus speaks here on the Sermon on the Plain are blessings. “Blessed are the poor.” This seems to be a counterintuitive statement. Not all the poor are blessed, for poverty is neutral. The poor can be either good or evil unless, perhaps, the blessed poor are to be understood as those whom the prophet described, saying, “A righteous poor man is better than a rich liar.” Those blessed poor are the poor who cried out, and the Lord heard. They are blessed who are poor in sin. They are blessed who are poor in vices. They are blessed when the prince of this world finds nothing in them. They are blessed who are like that poor Man who, although He was rich, became poor for our sake. In this beatitude, we seek to be this poor by laying aside every sin, taking off all malice, and being content with simplicity, poor of evils. And it is only through Christ and His righteousness that we have this blessed poverty. May we never become rich in the eyes of this world.
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