Meekness and Humility

 

Meekness and humility are two virtues which seem to lacking in much of our country.  Everyone speaks out with confidence, and answers when no one has questioned.  The Litany of Humility I pray each night helps me, but I know those virtues are not deep in my heart, as they should be.  So, I was pleased to read words on the topic in my Divine Intimacy meditation (#214). 

Here are some excerpts and the closing colloquy:

When the divine Master offered us His Heart as a model, He spoke of two virtues in particular; meekness and humility.  “Learn from Me because I am meek and humble of heart. (Mt 11:29).  Meekness … this is the virtue by which man is enabled to master everything that falls under the heading of “anger”. … These irritations are almost always caused by something which has wounder our “ego”,

It takes only a small amount of pride, of self-love, of attachment to our way of seeing or doing things to make us unable to stand opposition. Then, we lose our serenity.  If serenity is lost, calmness of judgement is also lost; therefore, we are no longer able to see clearly the divine light showing us which path to follow.  … As long as any traces of pride and self-love remain in us, there will always occur circumstances in which we will lose some of our control and self-mastery; consequently, we shall lack meekness.

Colloquy

“O most Sacred Heart of Jesus, You desire so ardently to shower Your favors upon the unfortunate, and to teach those who want to advance in the school of Your Love; You continually invite me to be meek and humble of heart, like You.  For this reason, You convince me that in order to gain Your friendship and to become Your true disciple, I can do nothing better than to try henceforth to be truly meek and humble.  Grant me, then, that sincere humility which keeps me subject to everyone, which makes me bear little humiliations in silence, which even makes me accept them willingly and with serenity, without excuse or complaint, remembering that I really deserve more and greater ones than I receive.

If I find in myself an abyss of agitation, impatience, or anger, I shall fly to Your Heart which is an abyss of meekness.  In every circumstance, at every encounter, I want to abandon myself to Your Heart, the ocean of love and charity, and I will not leave it until I am all penetrated by its divine fire.    (cf. St Margaret Mary).

 

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In Matthew 6, the Bible says “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them.”  It’s talking about humility.  It’s also saying righteous deeds done ultimately for our own benefit is not love of neighbor.  Therefore, the increasing number of government programs to help the poor (as the government defines it) are doing righteous deeds in order that people may see them (and vote for those who enact them).  This is not achieving the root reason for righteous deeds:  the commandment to love our neighbor.  It is true, we may show love of neighbor by our alms-giving, but a government cannot love anyone.  We cannot delegate our Gospel obligation to the government and think we are satisfying the commandment.  People who think that are the ones referred to at the end of Matthew who upon their death go to Jesus and say I achieved all the commandments, and He responds: “I don’t know you.”