Exploring the Beatitudes: Poor in Spirit

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Welcome to our eight-part video and audio series on the Beatitudes.

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These provocative and often confusing

sayings of Jesus are said to provide a

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blueprint for living the Christian life.

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So let's dive in with our

Good News team Lynn Shematek,

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Lauren Welch, and Jon Shematek.

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Lynn: Our

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topic today is the

first of the Beatitudes.

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It is blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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People often think that it's

blessed are the poor because it's

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the poor in spirit, so I think we

have to talk about what that means.

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And what do you think the

poor in spirit means, guys?

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Lauren: Well, at least for me, it

doesn't mean that you have to , live

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in poverty, which is what you, you

were saying that most people think.

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I think for me, it means to

know that I don't have control.

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I know I lived most of my life

thinking and wanting to be, maybe not

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thinking, but wanting to be in control.

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And, and the more I tried to control

my life, the The more trouble I got

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into, and as I began to know that I

was safe in the universe, there was a

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presence that around me that, that would

guide me if I actually tapped into it.

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Life became more bearable.

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So I think it's, I think it is

knowing that I'm not in control.

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and knowing that there is a greater

presence around me all the time.

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Lynn: What about for you, Jon?

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Jon: Well, maybe something like that.

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I, I think that poor is the

tough part of that for me.

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Cause I, I can translate in my head

to say, well, blessed are those who

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are not filled with spirit, because

there's the opportunity or the hope.

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Hope for spirit.

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So I think that someone who is poor

in spirit has an awareness that

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they are not spiritually fulfilled.

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They, they need something

in their spiritual life.

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That's incomplete in some way.

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Okay.

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And rather than just sort of

dwell into, Oh my goodness,

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I'm not spiritually fulfilled.

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I think the flip side of that is that,

and I think that's true for many of

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the Beatitudes, that there is a hope,

an expectation that if I just trusted

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the divinity That I would become spirit

filled, that God would come to me and and

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provide the spiritual nourishment that I

need to feel that I'm spiritually healthy.

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Lynn: So for you, it's not

so much a control issue.

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Jon: Well, everything is a

control issue for me, but maybe

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Lynn: that's why I couldn't

smile when Lauren said that.

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Jon: it's not so much a control issue,

but it is, I think it is again, that

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sort of What strikes me in so many of the

Beatitudes is an awareness and maybe the

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awareness that it's God who is the, is

the source, the divine one, is the source

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of spiritual life, is the source of all

life, but as a source of spiritual life.

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And I am not, I am not sufficient.

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In any way to do that.

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So maybe, maybe that is what

being not in control means.

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Lynn: Maybe.

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Well, so how can we have people not

feel that they have to be so much

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in control or realize that they

need God even in the good times.

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A lot of times I really think

that people go to God and pray and

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everything when the times are bad.

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But even in the good times, we need

to realize that God is around us

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and that he is in control really.

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And he only has the very best for us.

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So how do we have people kind of

recognize that or kind of realize that

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they have to every once in a while , get

out of their own mind or their own.

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or their own egos, and go

and, and see what God has in

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mind, if that makes any sense.

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I

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Lauren: I think it

makes great sense, Lynn.

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I, and I think Jesus taught us.

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What to do in Jesus taught

the disciples to pray.

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The Our Father, right?

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And he, Jesus was spent

a lot of time in prayer.

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Not just when he was not just when

he was in the garden or in trouble.

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Or just when he was exasperated by the

Apostles, with the Apostles, Jesus spent

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time in prayer, probably every day.

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And I think the more that we spend time

in the presence of God, And listen to,

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to that still small voice, then we,

we begin to trust, as Jon says, and be

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filled with that presence rather than

the anxiety of trying to do it ourselves.

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And I think following Jesus

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example of prayer is one way.

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Jon: Yeah, I think that's a great

a great way to do it, Lauren.

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I was thinking about, you know, if we talk

about the Beatitudes being a blueprint.

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for our Christian faith, for what

we can build on or build from.

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I think the question of all, what

does this actually mean from a

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practical standpoints a good one.

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And I think your advice about

praying is really excellent.

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Certainly Jesus, as you said, he

had many times when he prayed, he

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seemed to be praying all the time.

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And to me it is you know, when, when I

talk to people about prayer, which seems

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to come up a lot in my conversations

with people that they they think of

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prayer as being kind of a, a structured

thing that they have to have certain

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words or it has to be good enough.

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And to, to me, I think that prayer is

often noticing and becoming aware of

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the Divine One everywhere, in every

place, in every person, in everything.

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And if we do that, Just from time

to time, remind ourselves, let's,

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let me look for God in this.

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Where is God?

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Where, or however we'd like

to refer to the divinity.

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How am I being aware of that now?

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It's something as simple, you know,

a lot of people talk about, well I,

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walking in nature is a prayer for me.

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I think that has absolutely true.

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If you just can appreciate the

beauty and the impact and so much

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about nature, the, the sounds,

the smells, the, the vision of it.

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You can see God in so many ways

through, through all of our senses.

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So.

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I think for me, what I, if I were

advising somebody about prayer, I'd

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say, use your senses, use all of your

senses, use your body, become aware.

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You know, you think of in, in other

cultures and in our culture too, for

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that matter, these days how people

use yoga and Tai Chi and other

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kinds of movement and meditation.

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All those things are wonderful ways

to connect and to with, with the

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Divine One, and to become less poor in

spirit, but to become rich in spirit.

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Lynn: like that.

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Well, I think that this has all been

very interesting discussion, and what

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I'd like to now is to turn it over

to you, the person who is watching

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this podcast, and say, what think

about when you hear the words poor in

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spirit and what does it mean to you?

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And then the second thing is, is that

from your own life, can you think of

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anything that would help you to have

the feeling that God is with you?

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Is there some, maybe it's your

yoga, maybe it's, ,Reading a book,

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maybe he's going out and walking

in the forest, who, who, who knows.

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For everyone it's different, so I'll say

I'll see you soon I hope and take care.

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Jon: Well, thanks for being with us.

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We appreciate your spending some

time with us and we've got that

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was the first of our Beatitudes.

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We've got seven more to do.

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So I, I hope you'll be able to

join us in, in future ones and give

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some thoughts to what it means.

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Lauren: Blessings and peace

until we meet again.......

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..............

Dolores: This episode on the Beatitudes has been brought

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to you by listening for clues.

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You can find us at our website

listeningforclues.com, on our

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YouTube channel or on just

about any audio podcast channel.

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hope to see you soon.