| Jesus begins the Beatitudes with, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." The words "poor" and "blessed" do not seem to go together in the same sentence, do they? Jesus put this beatitude before all the others because
humility is the foundation of all virtues (so says St. Augustine). Being humble enough to recognize our own poverty is the first step in receiving the many graces God wants to give us.
Max Lucado explains it this way in The Applause of Heaven: “You don’t impress the officials of NASA with a paper airplane. You don’t boast about your crayon sketches in the presence of Picasso. You don’t claim equality with Einstein because you can write ‘H20.’ And you don’t boast about your goodness in the presence of the Perfect.”
Poverty itself has no intrinsic goodness, and in many cases is a burden. However, the practice of poverty is a practice in virtue. Joseph led a rather simple life as a craftsman, husband, and humble father. But even beyond his financial austerity, the birth of Christ in a cave, the Flight to Egypt, and his laborious occupation all
demonstrate his detachment from worldly goods.
His greatest acceptance of poverty was his willing acceptance of the call to Holy Purity in his unique marriage to the Blessed Mother. He embraced a life of chastity, because he wished the greater good, the protection of Mary's virginity as the Mother of God. Joseph grew in virtue as he submitted his own desires to God's plan. Joseph gave himself up, and got so much more in return.
“Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fiber of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will
ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)
This reflection is written by Mary Hallman, Director of Evangelization
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