Basis for meekness

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

WE know that if we have to be like Christ, as we should since he is the pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity, we have to be meek. He himself said it in no unclear terms. “Learn from me for I am meek and humble in heart,” he said. (Mt 11,29)

Meekness may appear to us in our human and worldly standards as a quality for weak, defeated and poor people. Nothing of that sort actually enters into the definition of meekness as defined by Christ himself. It’s a virtue that requires nothing less than heroic strength that can take on anything in this life, no matter how it goes, including of course the worst scenario that our life can get into.

When we are meek with the meekness of Christ, we can manage to be patient, understanding, gentle, tolerant, etc., when things and times get rough and difficult. Meekness prevents us from falling into sadness, anger, bitterness, fear, shame. It prevents us from rotting in frustrations and disappointment when things don’t go our way.

Meekness will always make us hopeful and optimistic, always looking at the brighter side of life and for solutions to problems rather than getting entangled with our problems and mistakes.

Meekness enables us to be accepting of things and situations as they are, without over-reacting to whatever defects or bad elements these things and situations may have. Obviously, meekness should encourage us to do something about them. And where we cannot anymore find any human solution to some of our problems, meekness helps us to live a spirit of abandonment in the hands of God.

And the basis for all this is because in the end God takes care of everything. What we cannot do, what we cannot anymore solve, God in his infinite and merciful wisdom and providence can always do something for our own good.

That’s why we really need to strengthen our faith that fuels our hope as we continue to get on with our life here on earth, and sharpen our charity that in the end is what is truly essential to us. We are made for love, for charity, since that is the essence of God and we are supposed to be his image and likeness.

So, we really need to develop this virtue by seeing to it that we are always guided by our Christian faith and not just by any worldly principle or spirit. Of course, to be active in our faith, we have to learn how to pray all the time to the point that we are always recollected and become real contemplatives even while we are in the middle of our earthly affairs.

We should always be in God’s presence, and be aware that in every moment of our life, whatever the situation is, God is actually intervening in our life since he continues to create and redeem us. Said in another way, God is continually training and at the same time testing us to be what he likes us to be—his image and likeness, children of his, meant to share in his very own divine life.

If we would just be constantly aware of this condition in our life, we have no reason to fear and have every reason to be happy, at peace, cheerful, calm, quick to ask forgiveness as well as to forgive. That’s what meekness is all about.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com