Blessed are the poor in spirit
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Matthew 5:3
Stanza 35 and Commentary on It in The Spiritual Canticle by St. John of the Cross
My commentary on Note 2, paragraph 1
The word for today is “solitude.”
And the Scripture for today is found above, one which I commented on here back in January when I meditated on the above scripture from the Beatitudes and now here again today.
A footnote to the above paragraph in The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD, and Otilio Rodriguez, OCD (608) on which I’m commenting, reads:
By repeating this word solitude in this stanza and throughout the commentary, John heightens the impression of a peaceful solitude. This authentic solitude is not necessarily physical but a solitude of detachment, or poverty of spirit, for the sake of the Bridegroom. [emphasis mine]
It also refers back to The Living Flame of Love (Note 46), which refers to Matthew 5:3.
That poverty of spirit is, as I have referenced elsewhere, is a complete dependence on God, being open to His leading each day as I pray each morning (see right sidebar). It is somewhat a state of mind, but also a state of spirit and of body as Paul writes:
I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.
Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.Romans 12:1, 2
What does it mean to not conform if not to be detached from the things of this world? And where does this happen if not in the mind? Then you are able to discern what is the will of God for that hour, that day, that week, that month, that year, the rest of your years.
Lord, let me empty my spirit and let it be filled with You. Amen.
