CIS NEWSLETTER  No. 46 - September 2007 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3) When we meditate on this first Beatitude, we tend to focus on the word ‘poor’, associating it with physical poverty. But is there any virtue in being poor, unless it is willingly embraced for the higher glory of God, such as when a missionary leaves his rich homeland to serve the poor in a foreign land? Similarly, is there a kind of special sinfulness in being rich from hard earned cash? What does, then, ‘poor in spirit’ mean? To be poor in spirit is to recognize that all we have is God’s gift: our families, our friends, our health, our talents, our successes and indeed our very existence! This is the proper religious attitude of poverty. If we are to be honest with ourselves, we come to acknowledge our neediness, our intellectual limitations, our spiritual inadequacy, and our moral failures; and in this helplessness we turn to God. Yes we turn to God just like the publican in Luke 18:13. Unlike the Pharisee who was puffed up with pride, the publican stood at the back of the temple and would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner’. To be poor in spirit is to avoid preoccupations with money and worldly goods; and to make use of these only to the extent of meeting our basic needs, rather than hoarding possessions to build our ‘self-sufficient empires’’. To be poor in spirit is to acknowledge the need to use our talents, intelligence, possessions and the like, to help others; in other words, to voluntarily make ourselves poor by making sacrifices of our time, our skills and our wealth on behalf of others. To be poor in spirit is to renounce cultural addictions such as excessive consumerism and materialism, which withdraw us from the true image of God and push us into a fake way of life. As the apostle Paul exclaimed in Philippians 3:8 when he discovered the way, the truth and the real life in Christ “ I count all things as loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them as dung, that I may win Christ”. To be poor in spirit is a renewed state of the mind and heart, pertaining to the disposition of the soul. It is not a matter of whether we are the poorest of the poor or the richest of the rich, although the rich are more in danger of falling in the realm of self sufficiency which alienates them from the grace of God. It is a matter of our internal disposition. It stands for our complete openness before God, for freedom from our pride, freedom from believing that we have the power to save ourselves, freedom from our ideas and opinions, freedom from our vain imaginings of our own heart. Theirs is the kingdom of Heaven ……. To embrace detachment from worldly desires requires of us to humbly surrender before almighty God. It is a painful on-going process, but so liberating! It is only through this humility that a capacity for the closest possible intimacy with God is created, drawing us to a life which we can truly enjoy as we learn to accept God’s will for us. It is to the humble heart that God reveals the secret of the Eternal Kingdom. For ‘to them little ones’, (Matthew 11:25) the Father is pleased to reveal what remains hidden from the wise and the learned who are too preoccupied with the accumulation of purely intellectual knowledge. The kingdom of Heaven brings a new reality to our daily life, a life of peace, light, freedom, contentment and blessedness, even among our many trials and sufferings.   Questions for reflection:- ‘Thank you Lord God and forgive me Lord God’ was one of the maxims of St George Preca. How often have I failed to thank God for my family, friends, community, health and indeed my very existence? Do I walk the extra mile to put the use of God’s gifts to reach out for others? Have I truly surrendered to God’s will in my life or am I still hanging on to worldly or even more subtle, to my ‘intellectual knowledge’ as my only security? Gordon P. Vassallo   Book Review The Enduring Heart. Spirituality for the long haul. Wilkie Au (Paulist Press 2000) I had already read and felt much blessed by a book written by Wilkie Au called ‘Urgings of the Heart’ (1995); the author blended psychology and spirituality to invite the reader to integration – a vital ingredient in an authentic Christian life. ‘The Enduring Heart’ is also meant as a help in Christian maturity. Quoting from the cover flap “This book is a resource for people who want to be rooted in the real world and nourished by love all through their lives.” On finishing the book, I was struck how the author (an ex-Jesuit, in fact) describes Ignatian spirituality using a contemporary style saturated in American jargon to illustrate his point. The author uses the expression ‘living with soul’ to bring out the meaning in the Principle and Foundation – that we choose what is more conducive to reach the end for which we were created. To see God in all things, he uses the term ‘crabgrass contemplation’: crabgrass is a weed that grows anywhere and so being contemplatives-in-action means that we can contemplate God even in the most daunting of situations. The chapters make for easy reading as the book is intended for the lay reader; however, the subject is not dealt with superficially. Using Ignatian contemplation (without stating it so), he illustrates his points with Scripture passages and also with modern parables, most of which were familiar as they are the ones circulating in e-mails! But at the end of each chapter, there are also prayer exercises to help the reader reflect more on a particular theme and to help in appropriation of the whole concept – after all, spirituality for the long haul means that one can endure because of God’s faithfulness, whether discouraged, weary or simply bored! For those who right now have a springy gait in their walk of faith, it can also be a source of affirmation and encouragement. [Wilkie Au is director of Spiritual Development Services in Los Angeles. He is also on the editorial board of Presence, the journal of Spiritual Directors International. His latest book is The Discerning Heart published in 2006.] ISBN 0-8091-0524-1   Prayer “ALL IS GRACE” (Rom 4:16) from various writings of St Therese of Lisieux Even if I had performed all the deeds of St Paul, I would consider myself an UNPROFITABLE SERVANT. I would notice that my hands are empty. But that is precisely the cause of my joy: since I have nothing, I shall expect everything from the good God." "We must do everything we are obliged to do: give without reckoning, practice virtue whenever opportunity offers, constantly overcome ourselves, prove our love by all the little acts of tenderness and considerations we can muster. In a word, we must produce all the good works that lie within our strength - out of love for God. But it is in truth indispensable to place our whole trust in Him who alone sanctifies our works and who can sanctify us without works, for He can raise up children to Abraham out of stones. Yes, it is needful, when we have done everything we believe we have to do, to confess that we are unprofitable servants, at the same time hoping that God, out of grace, will give us everything that we need. This is the way of spiritual childhood." ________________________________________ "Lord, I do not want to gather merit for heaven...in the evening of this life I will appear before You with empty hands. For I do not ask you, O Lord, in any way to count my good works. Rather, I will clothe myself with Your justice and receive from Your Love the eternal possession of Yourself."   From the CIS Programme Settembru 2007    Mulej, ejja nqattgħu ftit jiem flimkien. Irtir ippriedkat ta’ sitt ijiem għar-reliġjużi nisa. Min jixtieq jista’ jibqa’ jumejn oħra taħt it-tmexxija tal-predikatur. Data:      Mill-Ħadd, 23 ta’ Settembru, 2007, fis-7.00 ta’ filgħaxija, sas-Sibt, 29 ta’ Settembru, fil-5.00 ta’ filgħaxija. Imexxi : Fr. Paul Deguara, S.J. Post:      Dar Manresa, Victoria, Għawdex. Marriage Encounter Dan il-‘weekend’ huwa okkażjoni għal dawk il-koppji miżżewġa li jixtiequ jġeddu u jiċċelebraw il-wegħdiet taż-żwieġ tagħhom. Din hija esperjenza spiritwali b’differenza. Ikun hemm ħin ta’ ‘sharing’ fi grupp magħmul minn 8 koppji. Data:      Mis-Sibt, 29 ta’ Settembru 2007, fid-9.00 ta’ filgħodu sal-Ħadd, 30 ta’ Settembru fl-4.00 ta’ wara nofs in-nhar. Imexxu: Il-koppja Carmen u Karm Conti u Fr. Vince Magri, SJ Post:       Dar Manresa, Victoria, Għawdex   Ottubru 2007  “U ħares Alla lejn kull ma kien għamel, u, ara, kollox kien tajjeb ħafna.” (Ġen. 1, 31): in-Nisrani u l-Ambjent. Għandna għax niżżu ħajr `l Alla li fl-aħħar il-bniedem tas-seklu 21 qed jagħraf il-ħtieġa li jibda jibża’ u japprezza s-sbuħija tal-ħolqien ta’ madwaru. Kemm jien konxju tas-sbuħija tal-ħolqien? Kemm jien grat `l Alla għal dan ir-rigal li tani? Kemm iressaqni lejn Alla l-ħolqien? X’responsabbiltà nħoss biex nibża’ għal dan il-ħolqien? Dawn huma xi riflessjonijiet li nista’ nagħmel f’atmosfera ta’ talb matul dan il-“week-end retreat”. Data:       Mill-Ġimgħa, 12 ta’ Ottubru, 2007, fis-7.00 ta’ filgħaxija, sal-Ħadd, 14 ta’ Ottubru, wara l-pranzu. Imexxi:   Fr. Victor Degabriele, S.J., megħjun minn Ms. Louise Vella. Post:       Dar Manresa, Victoria, Għawdex. Jum ta’ ġabra għall-għalliema fil-bidu tas-sena skolastika F’ħajti għandi mumenti ta’ waqfien, ta’ mistrieħ m’Alla? Jista’ jkun li ħajti ġirja waħda? Jekk hu hekk, din tista’ tkun okkażjoni tajba fejn tieqaf ftit u tieħu n-nifs f’ambjent sieket u sabiħ. Data:    14 ta’ Ottubru 2007 mid-9.00 am sal-5.00pm (inkluż l-ikel) Imexxi: Fr Godwin Preca, S.J. Post:    Mt St Joseph Retreat House, Tarġa Gap, Mosta Mulej, għallimna nitolbu. Huwa l-Ispirtu ta’ Ġesù li f’qalbna jqanqalna biex nitolbu. Iżda aħna rridu nagħmlu l-parti tagħna. F’dan l-irtir nitgħallmu flimkien metodi differenti ta’ talb. Data:       Mill-Ġimgħa, 19 ta’ Ottubru, 2007 fis-7.00 ta’ filgħaxija, sal-Ħadd, 21 ta’Ottubru wara l-pranzu. Imexxu:  Ms Rosaline Scicluna, Ms Mary Xuereb, Fr. Anthony Cilia, S.J. u Fr. V. Degabriele, S.J. Post:       Dar Manresa, Victoria, Għawdex.