The Heart of Jesus

 

Learn of me because I am meek and humble of heart (Mt 11:29)

 

Reflection number 214 in Divine Intimacy hit home with me this week on a number of points.

(Meekness) is the virtue by which man is enabled to master everything that falls under the heading of “anger”.  Now I don’t fall into rages, but I find that often something or someone does cause me irritation, and sometimes for reasons I don’t understand.  These irritations are almost always caused by … something which wounded our ego.  I guess if I defined my ego as “getting things my way”, I can see the book’s comment. For me, that applies equally well to the guy who is driving too slow in front of me (or tailgating me) as well as to my not finding anything interesting on the radio.  They irritate me.  And it also applies to the more obvious:  pain or suffering.  In my last posting, I noted how God created us in His Image, with “an ability to love.”  If I regularly fail to do what He created me to do (love as He does), would He be wrong to see me not worthy of having been created?  I don’t think God would ever see me in that light, but it is a good reminder to work more deliberately on the virtue of meekness, and control of anger or irritation.

That Divine Intimacy reflection goes on.  It takes only a small amount of pride, of self-love, … to make us unable to stand opposition.  Then we lose our serenity and become irritated.  If serenity is lost, calmness of judgment is also lost, therefore we are no longer able to see clearly the Divine Light showing us which path to follow.  I like that wording.  It implies getting angry gets me lost AND, that self-love is the problem. You can see why God considers anger a sin:  He made us with the ability to live in His Image, but God is not all about self-love, that is not His image.

It seems that some people act as if they were like God, totally in control of their lives.  If they truly want to be like God, however, they will love, God and neighbor.  And no one else.  The heart of Jesus is our model.

Then that Divine Intimacy passage conclude with this prayer:

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.

I shall listen attentively to Your sweet words: ‘Learn of Me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’  I can see that the storms I bear arise solely from my self-love, my vanity, my attachment to my own will.  Defend me, O Lord, protect the peace of my soul.

Amen.