Poverty

I've just read a compelling article on living out the first beatitude: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 5:3)
The author, Jamie Arpin-Ricci, suggests that we should take another look at how we view poverty, and what we are doing about it.  Do we ignore the plight of the poor?
"The way we live in relation to both poverty and wealth must suffer the intense scrutiny Scripture demands, and then we must make the necessary changes to our lives. After all, when God said to his people that "there need be no poor among you" (Deuteronomy 15:4), he wasn't suggesting segregation."
That's all I'll leave you with at the moment, but if you want to read the entire article, check it out here.

The beatitudes

Luke
Have you read Luke's version of the beatitudes (see chapter 6 verse 20-26)?  His are far less 'spiritualized' than the ones quoted in Matthew 5.  For example, Luke only says blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Matthew however, says blessed are you who are poor in spirit....
I looked up a couple commentaries, and they don't comment on the non-spiritual seeming aspect of Luke.  Are we supposed to readily see that Luke actually means poor (humble in spirit), because on the surface of things, it appears to mean that those who are physically/economically poor, they have the kingdom of God.  Feel free to weigh in on this conversation!