"BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 

"Poor In Spirit," Means To Be Humble.

Humility is the realization that all your gifts and blessings come from the grace of God. To have poverty of spirit means to be completely empty and open to the Word of God. When we are an empty cup and devoid of pride, we are humble. Humility brings openness and an inner peace, allowing one to do the will of God. He who humbles himself is able to accept our frail nature, to repent, and to allow the grace of God to lead us to Conversion. 

It Is Pride, The Opposite Of Humility That Brings Misery.

For pride brings anger and the seeking of revenge, especially when one is offended.

If every man were humble and poor in spirit, there would be no war!

ST. PAUL ON CONVERSION

Conversion is the heart of the Christian experience. The Bible is filled with figures that sinned, became repentant, and underwent conversion, such as Simon Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene. Saul, the persecutor of the Church after his conversion became Paul, the great missionary to the Christians, heathens and pagans. Conversion is best described in his thirteen letters to the churches. “Known as the Letters of St. Paul, we find them in the Bible.” (1Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Romans, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, 1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Timothy and Hebrews)  this is with very good reason for - no one experienced a more dramatic conversion than St. Paul on the road to Damascus! 

While reading St. Paul's Letter to the Romans: "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light”. (Romans 13:12)

St. Thomas Aquinas, describes St. Paul's conversion as a sudden reception of grace "Paul, in the midst of sin,” suddenly his heart was perfectly moved by God¹.

As recorded in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus himself called for conversion when he announced, “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15).

Simon Peter denied three times that he was an Apostle of Christ during the Lord's Passion; a rooster crowed; Then Simon Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” He then went outside and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:75).

Mary Magdalene was a woman of ill repute before Jesus drove out seven devils from her (Luke 8:2); she became an ardent follower, and was the first to see Jesus following his resurrection (John 20:16-18).

St. Augustine describes his own conversion in his Confessions.²

Jesus reinstates Simon Peter

The third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he arose from the dead. Simon Peter accepted Jesus’s command. In the same way, Simon Peter disowned Jesus three times, Jesus asked him to profess his love for him three times and commanded him three times to “feed my lambs” “Take care of my sheep” and “Follow me!” (John 21).

¹The Summa Theologica by St. Thomas Aquinas written 1265–1274 

²The Confessions of St. Augustine by St. Augustine of Hippo, written between AD 397 and AD 398