I keep thinking about Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. Here’s the first thing out of his mouth that day he sat down to preach. The first thing.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Any speech writer would have advised a different opening, even a slightly different choice of words, like blessed are the rich in spirit! A big pronouncement that would pump everybody up. But that’s not what he said. Right off the bat, he mentioned poverty. But what does it mean?

Apparently “poor in spirit” signifies a “deep spiritual humility and awareness of one’s utter need for God.” Humility is mentioned a lot in the Bible. “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:6,10

We need to be very careful when we see self-aggrandizing pride. Let’s call it the “Big” Way. It’s highly prized these days. I think some people confuse it with power.

But what about the Little Way? It’s actually an expression coined by St. Therese of Lisieux, but it seems to capture the essence of being poor in spirit. It emphasizes that holiness is achieved not through grand actions, but by consistently doing small, ordinary acts of love and service. It teaches that one’s perceived weaknesses and imperfections are not obstacles but opportunities for God’s grace to transform them, fostering humility, confidence, and a childlike reliance on God’s love, rather than one’s own efforts to reach holiness. 

“Poor in spirit” is the entryway. Whether it fits our worldview or not, pride is not the entryway.