Before we can properly understand the Sermon on the Mount, we must understand the beatitudes; and in particular, we need to understand the first beatitude: poor in spirit. Poverty of spirit is the soil in which all the other beatitudes grow. It's the first truth that must be believed in order to open the door for other spiritual truths. Most importantly, being poor in spirit is the characteristic of those who will go to heaven when they die. Are you poor in spirit or proud in spirit?