Understanding the First Beatitude: Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
Join the Good News team: Lynn Shematek, Lauren Welch, and Jon Shematek as they launch their eight-part video and audio podcast series on the Beatitudes, starting in January 2025. In this first episode, they discuss the meaning of 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven' by exploring personal interpretations and the importance of acknowledging the divine presence in our lives. They emphasize prayer and awareness of God as key components to enrich one's spiritual life. The episode ends by inviting the audience to reflect on what 'poor in spirit' means to them and how it can be applied in their daily lives.
Catch us on https://listeningforclues.com/
00:00 Introduction to the Beatitudes Series
00:34 Exploring the First Beatitude
00:47 Understanding 'Poor in Spirit'
04:06 Practical Applications of the Beatitude
05:14 The Role of Prayer
08:59 Final Thoughts and Reflections
11:56 Engaging the Audience
13:26 Conclusion and Farewell
Transcripts
Dolores:
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
