Those who specialize in the study of the Bible tell us that the word BLESSED in Greek makarios, like the Hebrew word ‘ashre,’ does not confer blessing but recognizes an existing state of happiness inherent in God. When we experience blessedness, it flows from our relationship with God, transforming our lives and filling us with hope. Meanwhile, BEING POOR or POVERTY is always regarded as evil in the Scripture. So, what is the meaning of Jesus’ words, “Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.”
JESUS invites all his followers to embrace some degree of being poor, but not destitution, as an essential aspect of all those who wish to commit to be his followers: “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (MATTHEW 8:20); “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (LUKE 12:33–34). When He speaks of the poor, he asks them to be instruments of blessings to the needy of which the early Church reiterates and bears witness: “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:18); “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:17-18).
The blessedness that JESUS holds up is the happiness of those freed from a desperate situation of poverty, a state of being that is not just about material wealth but also about spiritual enlightenment and liberation, made possible by the compassionate and concrete love towards those who have less by those who have more. Whoever oppresses the poor insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. (PROVERBS 14:31)
Fra. Francis Victor Mateo, OFM Conventual
February 16, 2025