MEEKNESS IS WEAKNESS. This seems so obvious to a secularized, self-sufficient society. After all, what part could the apparently powerless and insignificant meek play in a self-centered, self-seeking, self-promoting culture? Of what use are they, the steadfast and the serene, in a "push-me-forward" world? MEEKNESS IS WEAKNESS.
Or, is it? The Sacred Scriptures show us something quite
different. The author of the Book of Numbers relates — with a hint
of familial pride! — that Moses was the meekest man on the face of
the earth.
A prophet like me God will raise up for you from among your
kinsmen, Moses declared.
As a faithful student of the Gospel, St. Francis of Assisi
learned well the lesson of holy MEEKNESS. He, too,
had his "burning bush" experience, in the little church of San
Damiano, when Jesus Crucified called him by name: Francis, go repair
my house which, as you see, is falling into ruin.
The early
Franciscan sources tell us that after this, Francis was a changed
man, a meek man. Recalling the love of his Divine Master was enough
to melt the Little Poor Man's heart. It also tempered his naturally
fiery temper, calmed his ardent passions, and curbed and shaped his
spontaneous character. In Francis, the second Beatitude became a
living reality: Blessed are the MEEK, for they
shell possess the land! Through holy MEEKNESS, the
Little Poor Man came to possess the land" of his own humanity. His
little "acre" of heart and soul became pliable, porous, patient
and fruitful. The energies which MEEKNESS held in
check were channeled into love, service and surrender.
Divine
assistance is needed to put on meekness.
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