Poverty of spirit

Poverty of Spirit is the finest of models for writers on the spiritual life. Metz' text is meditative not didactic, and this makes all the difference. Rather than a one-way dissemination of his vast knowledge (in Metz' case, "vast" is understated) to his reader, he simply *encounters* several passages of scripture related to poverty of spirit, and then he brings us with him into this encounter. It is not a lesson with discrete (and therefore limited) facts to be learned; instead, it is an invitation into a continuously unfolding relationship with God that is limitless and eternal---at least insofar as we are willing to drink the cup of our own poverty. I suspect this essay is the fruit of Metz' deep practice of lectio-divina, which is why it is one of those rare extra-scriptural texts that are well suited to lectio for the reader.

Although a Catholic theologian, Metz writes to that which is most fundamental in the spiritual life---the relationship of God and man made incarnate through Christ who humbled himself to accept the full poverty of man. There are no denominational battle lines here, making Poverty of Spirit a book for every person who wants to grow in his or her spiritual life.