THE STRENGTH OF MEEKNESS


THURSDAY, TWENTY THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME 

Col 3:12-17; Ps 150; Lk 6:27-38

Being Compassionate like God

We begin our reflection by grounding ourselves in the fact that often eludes our attention and thought: the fact that God created the entire world for his own divine purposes. He reigns supreme over the whole earth, and his word orders all to his ultimate glory. If we establish our thoughts deep in this truth and make it a foundation for our thoughts and actions, then we will be well-equipped to understand his immense goodness and providential care for all. Consider all that he provided for our use and comfort. How he made all creatures serve man and provide for his upkeep. We have always maintained, with the fathers of the Church, that creation is a great school for our attainment of divine knowledge. Our fixation with self and quest to satisfy our selfish cravings are the causes of our blindness to the presence of God with us in creation. We suffer a lot due to this blindness and lack of attention to our Teacher, who is present in nature, because we fail to understand that nature will not obey us, but the will of the Father ultimately. We may try to bend or force nature to do our will, but it will usually come around to undeceive us in our self-deception. A careful attention to nature reveals that everything shows the goodness and generosity of God.

Our Lord calls us to the same attitude of generous self-giving which nature exhibits in everything. He teaches us that the created things display the providence of God. We that he made in his image must also imitate his goodness and generosity. “I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. To the man who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek too; to the man who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic.” The attitude and behaviour the Lord teaches us to imbibe do not come from weakness, for that would make us unlike God, but from deep knowledge of God and the mystery of his love for us, demonstrated in his gift of his only Begotten Son to us. The knowledge of our ownership of all things in Christ is a solid foundation for the sacrificial attitude above. God gives us himself in all things because he is limitless and infinitely good. He gives to the good and the bad. “Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” Our self-giving should proceed from the experience of God’s goodness, as revealed in his Son, Jesus Christ.

Living a life that is deeply rooted in the knowledge of God and acknowledgment of his abiding presence makes us his children and chosen people. Saint Paul affirms this in his letter to the Colossians. “You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins.” God’s love for us, which he shows through creation and in our redemption through his Son, is the foundation for our compassion and love for one another. Thus, faith in God and knowledge of his love are the foundation for our transformation into God. Our focus must remain on Jesus Christ, his passion, death, and resurrection; he provides us with enough proof and incentive for self-sacrifice. Understanding this, Saint Paul continues: “Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom.” Because the whole creation is imitating God in the act of self-giving, we join and live in harmony with heaven and earth. The strength of harmony with creation we show forth in meekness is what our Lord means when he proclaimed the meek blessed because they will inherit the earth. The attitude of meekness conforms with the whole creation in imitating God in self-giving. “Praise God in his holy place, praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his powerful deeds, praise his surpassing greatness.”

Let us pray: O God, by whom we are redeemed and receive adoption, look graciously upon your beloved sons and daughters, that those who believe in Christ may receive true freedom and an everlasting inheritance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. 

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