Poverty of Spirit
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Matt. 5:3)—the humble recognition that human beings possess no spiritual sufficiency apart from God’s mercy and grace. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” does not praise despair, self-hatred, or material destitution as ends in themselves. Saint John Chrysostom interprets the phrase as humility: even the wealthy may be poor in spirit when they know that visible riches are perishable and cannot replace the gifts of God. Spiritual poverty receives rather than boasts, repents rather than excuses itself, and depends upon God without denying the dignity he gives to his creatures.