The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11:30

Are the meek weak? Are the poor a bore? Are the kind blind? Too often, we view the meek as mousey wimps, the poor as a burden, and the kind as patsies. In the movie, ‘The Social Network,’ it is the aggressor and the devious operator who emerges as the victor.

But, God sees us differently. God looks on the little as big, the meek as mighty, the childlike as wise, and the humble and tender as images of the Lord himself.

Today’s scripture paints us an interesting picture of the successful person. Jesus, the Son of God, is ever meek and humble. He is the joy of His people. He is filled with the Spirit of God; refreshing the weary and afflicted. And He is much, much more.

God’s people in the Scriptures often forgot how sweet and tender were His designs for them, or how much they could trust God to care for them. They forgot how little God asked of them: their love of God, their love of each other, whether rich or poor, in good times and in bad. To help us, Jesus offers us His example as a sure guide on how to keep that marvelous love of His alive.

By the time of Jesus, the laws of the temple had become so heavy and harsh that they had become a burden, a yoke that the lowly found heavy to bear. These laws were used by people in power to oppress the faithful rather than to liberate them. Jesus freed his followers from the bondage of laws and rules for their own sake by helping them to discover the spirit behind all laws; namely, the spirit of love. Jesus promises us a much lighter yoke–a way to God–that would be easy to shoulder. He promises us freedom first, from sin and hardness of heart. All good things are now possible, especially for the weak and the poor and the dispossessed: the little people of God.

In our society, “meek” is a pejorative word, and the humble are often viewed as losers. The meek, according to popular prejudice, are too timid to take a stand. Not so. The meek and the humble are courageous because they are honest with themselves and with the world around them. They stand with God at their side.

Jesus declares in today’s Scripture that the meek and humble ones are blessed or fortunate–even happy–in their childlike dependence on God, knowing that God is their protector and provider, knowing that none of the glitter and glamour of life separates them from their God who cares.

God has a fondness for a meek and humble person: the marginally poor, the afflicted, the dispossessed, the disadvantaged, and the needy. They are God’s poor. They tolerate the ways of the world, but they do not follow them. They have little and seek little. They simply trust in God. Jesus says that their inheritance is the land itself:
“Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”

Fr. Hugh Duffy