Beggar spirituality

Jeremiah 31:7-9; Psalm 126 The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52

We live in world where every one wants to be spiritual but no one wants to be religious. Everyone wants to be connected to the higher power but they don't want to be connected to a community. Every one wants to feel the presence of God and the communion of saints but they want to do it alone in isolation. every one wants to get to heaven but they do not want anyone to tell them how to get there.

What dysfunction!

The only answer to today's malaise is the Beggars's spirituality in today's gospel.

The beggar in the proper sense of the word is one who knows he is in need, who knows he cannot go it alone. And not only does he know he is in need but he wants only what he needs.

Here in lies the answer to modernity.

We live in a world where our only necessity are those things that are unnecessary. We live in world ruled by wants not by needs.

It is our needs that will lead us to God not our wants.

The beggars wants what he needs. He shows us the proper way at arriving at that critical reality of wanting what we need, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."

In seeking mercy from Jesus he better understands what he needs; his wants are purified by his longing for mercy and pity.

In the end he gets what he needs to follow the Lord on the way. The beggar gets direction and purpose. The beggar gets a place of belonging, a part in a community.

The beggar gets religion for it is Jesus who founds a church, a place of gathering for the people of God. It is Jesus that shows us that spirituality and community are intimately connected.

Like the beggar we must be willing to allow our wants to be purified by the mercy of God and learn to live in and by our needs.