- Matthew 5:3 — Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν
- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.
A couple of passages come to mind:
- Regarding Jesus: “But He emptied Himself taking the form of a slave, being in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7).
- Regarding Mary: “But as for you, a sword will pierce right through your soul” (Luke 2:35).
Saint Paul says that we are to be tabernacles of the Holy Spirit. Tabernacles, of themselves, have nothing of themselves, and are inappropriate if filled with anything but that which they are meant to contain. Tabernacles must be void of themselves so that they might contain the treasure for which they were created.
© 2023 Fr George David Byers
ARISE! LET US BE GOING! 
Gulp. … You wrote it so I understand now. Deo gratias.
Our tabernacle will remain empty, regardless of what WE place within it, until the Holy Spirit fills it.
Random thoughts:
Saint John of the cross spoke about “my house being quiet and in order.” And I recall a home put in order from which a demon had been purged, the demon returning with friends after finding this “clean” home now more inviting.
Where did I read this latter part? I’m prolly confused after the power outages in Texas.
How did everyone else fare?