Roc Homily – Sermon on the Mount Situated (A) 2017

About the Poor in Spirit…

Matthew 5:1      When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.

Jesus, as it were, claimed the high ground – the place from which God instructs and humans worship idols.  When he sat to teach, those who were willing to be taught self-selected themselves from the crowd and went to him.  Not everyone is able and willing to be taught by the Lord every day.  Not me, anyway.  So, ready to be taught?

Matthew 5:2f     Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…

Who are the poor in spirit?  Here’s what I discovered in my word studies.  1) The poor are eternally vulnerable and always taken advantage of.

Matthew 19:20f     20 The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

Psalm 9:17–19      17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. 19 Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you.

Psalm 25:16      16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.

Psalm 72:2–4      2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. 3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness. 4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.

Proverbs 14:31      Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who are kind to the needy honor him.

Proverbs 17:5      5 Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

Sirach 13:19f      Wild asses in the wilderness are the prey of lions; likewise the poor are feeding grounds for the rich. 20 Humility is an abomination to the proud; likewise the poor are an abomination to the rich.

Isaiah 61:1      1 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;

Ezekiel 22:29f      29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery; they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the alien without redress. 30 And I sought for anyone among them who would repair the wall and stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.