The Gospels offer us a sustained glimpse into God’s love for us. We learn through the beatitudes that the way humans think is not always the best way, not the godliest. When we punish and cast judgment, God is infinitely more keen to love and forgive. We saw this at the crucifixion when Jesus not only forgave those who killed him but found excuses for them: “They know not what they do.”

It can be a painful experience to see how we are so inadequate for the Kingdom of God. In this life we are taught to only take the rewards that we are entitled to, but we shall never be entitled to paradise. This makes us feel like we shouldn’t be going there. God’s love is a gift, and Jesus forgives our sins and enrobes us in his love. We deserve none of it.

This gives us a taste of how we should be treating our fellow humans. We should forgive, have patience, we should live the life of Jesus inside our own life. Poverty takes many forms, most notably humility. For as Jesus says: blessed are the poor in spirit.