Volume III, Treatise III, Chapter II

Of the Greatness of the Reward God Bestows Upon the Poor in Spirit

THE young man in the gospel, who aspired to perfection, and was not content with a bare observance of the commandments, went away very much afflicted, when Christ said to him, that if he would be perfect, he should sell all he had and give it to the poor. He had so great an attachment to his riches, which were very considerable, that he had not the courage to quit them, and hence he had no foundation on which to build the tower of evangelical perfection. Now, that the like may not happen to us, and that we may be able to detach ourselves absolutely from all things of this world, Jesus Christ proposes to us the greatness of the reward which is annexed to this absolute disengagement. “Blessed”, says he, “are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven”—Mat., v. 3. Consider here, whether you would not do well to exchange all your substance upon Earth for the kingdom of Heaven? Can you make a bargain more advantageous, than in giving the little. you possess in this world for an infinite treasure in the next? St. Bernard makes an excellent remark on this passage, and says that our Saviour does not speak here, as in the other beatitudes, of the time to come. He does not say that the kingdom of Heaven shall be yours, but that it is so already; and in reality, though you do not enjoy it at present, yet it does not still cease to be yours; because you have really purchased it by abandoning all you had in this world. For example, if you have given an hundred guineas for a jewel, but left it in the hands of the seller, the jewel is certainly yours, though it is not yet delivered to you, because you have bought and paid for it. In like manner, the kingdom of Heaven belongs to a person poor in. spirit, because he has given all he was worth to purchase it. ‘The kingdom of Heaven”, says our Saviour, “is like a merchant that seeks for fine pearls, who having found a rich one, goes and sells all he has to buy it”——Mat., xiii. 45. Now as this pearl belongs to this merchant, because he bought it with his money, so the kingdom of Heaven belongs to you, because you have bought it by a sale of all your goods.

But the recompense which the Son of God proposes to the poor of spirit does not end here. He promises still more. Can there be anything more, you will say, than the kingdom of Heaven? Yes, for as in the world there are degrees of honour and command, so are there of glory and excellence in Heaven; and our Saviour has promised the most eminent degrees of glory to the poor in spirit. Christ, upon the young man’s unwillingness to sell all he had to follow him, took occasion to show the difficulty of rich men entering into Heaven. And St. Peter having then said, “we have left all and followed thee; what reward shall we have?” our Saviour answers, “Amen, I say to you, that you who have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the seat of his majesty, you shall sit also upon twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” —Mat., xix. 27, 28. It is the common opinion of holy men, that these words ought also to be extended to all those who have imitated the apostles in voluntary poverty, and chiefly to those who have engaged themsélves to it by vow, as all religious do; for suppose they die in that condition, and in the grace of God, St. Austin, with St. Gregory and Venerable Bede, hold, that they shall all appear sitting on the great tribunal of God at the day of judgment, rather to exercise the office of judges, than as criminals; and they apply these words of Isaias to them, “the Lord shall come to Judge with the elders and princes of his people” (Isaias 2:13); as also these of Solomon, which they interpret of the spouse of the Church, “her bridegroom shall be illustrious in the assembly, when he shall sit with the senators of the Earth”— (Proverbs 31:23) All which titles of senators, elders, and princes, of whom the Holy Ghost speaks, the same holy doctors give to the poor of spirit. It is true some would have this privilege granted to all those whom the Church acknowledges for saints; but St. Thomas’ of Aquin, whom most follow in this point, limits it to those who have made profession of holy poverty, whether they be’ canonized or not,.and he brings a great many plausible reasons to prove why this privilege ought to belong to them, rather than to other saints. St. Gregory, upon the consideration of this great prerogative, cries out with the Psalmist, “‘ Thy friends, O Lord, are even too much honoured; and their dominion confirmed to admiration!” —Ps., cxxxviil. 16, 17. Be thou for ever blessed, O my God, who hast thus honoured thy friends, particularly those who have. made themselves poor for love of thee. Thou art not content to give them.part in thy kingdom, but thou advancest them to the glory even of sitting as judges with thee to judge the whole world.

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