At the beginning of the Beatitudes, “Jesus said: Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for there’s is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

To be poor in Spirit is to recognize that you have nothing to offer God. That your account has no balance in it through which you can pay your way into heaven. It’s realizing that you are nothing.

Our society doesn’t like that thought though. We like to think we’re good, we like to think we can do things on our own way, we like to make things about our own talents or abilities or goodness. We like to rely on our own skills to get through life. We glorify talent.