The Way Out of Poverty of Spirit

“Meister Eckhart (c. 1260 - c. 1328) said in essence that the spiritual life has more to do with subtraction than with addition. [...] We aren’t really free until we’re free from ourselves: our ego, our reputation, our self-image, our need to be right, our need to be successful, our need to have everything under control, even our need to be loved by others - or to think of ourselves as loving.”

Richard Rohr: Daily Meditation “Path of Descent”

It is common sense and logical to think that a way out of any kind of poverty is to get more of something. As is often the case with spiritual matters, human logic does not apply here. The way out of spiritual poverty is not necessarily to get more, but to have less. It is only when, in humility, we let go, that we create an empty space for God to fill us with His content. The way out of poverty of Spirit is to subtract, so that God can add.