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lessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
To be materially poor is to be dependent on the day, to have no stores for the future, and no illusions about one's self-sufficiency. Poverty has long been considered a great Christian virtue precisely because it means that one is forever beseeching God for aid and sustenance. The rich man sees his stores of wealth, and thinks himself safe and independent; but he fools himself. His wealth is no defense against the justice of the Lord, and in this way, the rich man and the poor man are the same; only the poor man knows the truth of his situation.
It is the same with poverty of spirit. I didn't understand this teaching at first; I assumed that we wanted to be poor in money, but rich in spirit. Isn't that the correct prioritization? But the spirit being spoken of here is more like inner, or emotional, wealth; and it is just as prone to deceive us as material wealth. If I believe that my well-being and inward peace are the results of my own actions, I am cutting myself off from understanding my true relationship to God just as surely as the confident rich man. Being poor in spirit means turning every day to God, and asking Him for our daily bread, instead of turning to worldly things to satiate us.