Being Meek

Prepare for Mass – 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
In the Beatitues, Jesus said that the meek shall inherit the earth – Mt5:5.  Jesus was an example of meekness throughout his entire life.  We read about Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jeruselum foretold by the prophet Zechariah – “Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, Meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass.  – Zech 9:9″.  

Meekness is not weakness.  It is a Fruit of the Spirit that involves responding with serenity and calm to adversity no matter what the consequence.  It demonstrates a complete trust in God and displays a heart of tenderness, gentleness, and compassion.

Paragraph 716 of The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: The People of the “poor”—those who, humble and meek, rely solely on their God’s mysterious plans, who await the justice, not of men but of the Messiah—are in the end the great achievement of the Holy Spirit’s hidden mission during the time of the promises that prepare for Christ’s coming. It is this quality of heart, purified and enlightened by the Spirit, which is expressed in the Psalms. In these poor, the Spirit is making ready “a people prepared for the Lord.”

In his letter to the Romans (ch 8), St Paul says the “mind set on the flesh is hostile to God – Rom 8:7″.  We are called to not live in the flesh but to live by the Spirit of God who dwells inside us.

Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 11:25-30) says that nobody can come to the Father except through Him.  What is kept from the wise and learned is revealed to little ones. ”Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am meek and humble in heart; and you will find rest for yourselves - Mt 11:29″.

PRAYER: Jesus meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like yours.

Who do you say I am?

For me one of the most powerful realities of the authenticity of my faith in the true Church of God is found from within the recorded traditions of so many people across thousands of years.  The Sacred Deposit of Faith including both Tradition and Sacred Scripture is entrusted to the bishops-the successors to the apostles-in union with the successor of Peter by the authority of Jesus.  Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Son of the living God” – Mt:16:16.  To which Jesus replied, for it was not flesh and blood that revealed this but my Father who is in heaven – Mt:16:17.

Jesus entrusted the keys to the kingdom of heaven to Peter in the vicinity of Caesarea Phillipi.  This city was built on a huge rock formation.  This rock formation was also in a place where the false Greek god Pan was worshipped.  Pan was the god of sheperds and flocks.  He was a god of fear and from his name we get the word “panic”.  It is very interesting that Jesus chose to travel a long distance to Caesarea Phillipi with his disciples to this giant wall of rock where the false god of sheperds and flocks who instilled fear was worshipped.  Jesus chose this place to tell Peter that his name is rock and that upon this rock, I will build my church and the powers of death will not prevail over it.  He gave him the keys of the kingdom of heaven and said whatever you bind and loose on earth will be bound and loose in heaven.

For the early Christians, many of them gladly accepted death at the hands of their persecutors rather than deny their faith.  Peter himself after denying Jesus three times during His passion would later die a martyr’s death choosing to be crucified upside down. 

The early Christians knew that a crown of righteousness in the kingdom of heaven awaited them and that in the end God would deliver them from every evil.  Peter himself had a great deliverance as he was recued from death in prison by an angel of God – Acts:12:6-11.   The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear Him.

PRAYER:

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here.  Ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule and guide AMEN

Faith not always popular choice

Being a faithful servant of God will not necessarily result in an increase in popularity.  In fact you can find that it is quite the opposite.  Jeremiah faced many hardships, persecutions, and torment as he listened to God just prior to the Babylonian Captivity. 

Jeremiah was called by God to prophesy the destruction of Judah.  His message was not one that would be taken seriously at the time and did not win him many friends.  The truth in his words was revealed later by history.  In his prayer recorded in Jer 20:7-28, Jeremiah referred to himself as a “daily laughing-stock” and he admitted that it wasn’t always easy to be faithful.

Jer 20:7-9 – LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.

These doubts subsided and after a fire burned in his heart.  He committed his cause to God and praised Him.

Jer 20:13 – Sing to the LORD;
praise the LORD!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hand of evildoers.

Proclaiming the Gospel for the disciples was completely life changing and the new life wasn’t always smooth sailing.  It was often very challenging.  When Jesus told his disciples to go out and proclaim the Gospel, he warned them to not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but to fear God who can destroy both body and soul in hell. (Mt:10:26-33)

Do not be afraid.  There is no need to be afraid of declaring yourself for God before men even if it means that the world seems to hate you.

Mt 10:31-33 – Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Prayer: Oh God, I hope with complete trust that you will give me, through the merits of Jesus, all necessary grace in this world and everlasting life in the world to come, for this is what you promised and you always keep your promises. -AMEN

The call to serve

God is always calling His people to Himself and promises a special relationship with Him to all who obey his ordinances. 

God called Moses at Mount Sinai and invited the Israelites into a covenent with him.

Ex.19:2-6 – The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

The call of God requires a response.  The whole truth behind freewill is that God’s call requires a response.  At Mount Sinai, the overwhelming response of the people was of course, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do”.

Jesus called his twelve apostles to service.  Responding to this call, these twelve would become the leaders of the restored kingdom of Israel.  In Mt.9:36-10:8 Jesus is moved with pity for the people in the crowds.  The troubled and abandoned people reminded him of a sheep without a shepherd.  He summoned the twelve to proclaim ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  Giving them authority to cast out unclean spirits, he said to go to the lost sheep and heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. 

Today we all are called by God to carry out our duties faithfully according to our state in life.  Some are being called by God to the Holy Priesthood.  Some are called to missionary work and others to a vocation of marriage or religious life.  God is waiting for our responses.

Prayer – Lord Jesus Christ, shepherd of souls, who called the apostles to be fishers of men, raise up new apostles in your holy Church.  Teach them that to serve you is to reign; to possess you is to possess all things.  Kindle in the young hearts of our sons and daughters the fire of zeal for souls.  Make them eager to spread your kingdom upon earth.  Grant them courage to follow you, who are the way, the truth and the life; who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

- A Simple Prayer Book