Blessed are the Meek

If you have never heard of Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, you are unfortunate, indeed. He is the Pontifical Household preacher, which means he gets to preach to the Pope! Imagine the pressure. Well, Fr. Cantalamessa flourishes in that role, and his sermons are incredibly profound. He has been delivering a series of talks on the beatitudes. His most recent sermon focuses on the meek.

Fr. Cantalamessa points out that the beatitudes are not simply a set of guidelines for us to follow. They are the qualities of the Master, Jesus Himself. This can be readily seen when Jesus says, "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart" (Mt 11:29). The beatitudes are historical reality, found in the person of Christ.

The meek are those who exhibit humility and patience. It is very similar to the virtue of love. Consider how St. Paul describes love: “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated” (1 Cor. 13:4). Fr. Cantalamessa describes the beatitudes as a self-portrait of Jesus.

Meekness, being a proper manifestation of love is a proper attributes of God, who is all-loving. Throughout the gospels, we see the meekness of Christ. The most important display of His meekness is in His passion and death. “When he was reviled he did not revile in return, when he suffered, he did not threaten” (1 Peter 2:23). Jesus was meek through it all. He bore His pain and death with acceptance and love. He did not become angry or threaten His executioners. He prayed to the Father to forgive them.

Meekness is bound to tolerance. Fr. Cantalamessa brings up the scene where James and John, who were not welcomed in a certain Samaritan village:

On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village. – Luke 9:52-56

Jesus calls us to “turn the other cheek”. This is the truest form of meekness. In giving witness to others, meekness must be exercised along with respect. We cannot force someone to accept our beliefs. We can only offer humble invitation to them. Here is how Fr. Cantalamessa summarizes this concept:

The promise linked to the beatitude of the meek -- "they will inherit the land" -- is realized on different levels; there is the definitive promised land of eternal life, but there is also the land which is the hearts of men. The meek win confidence, they attract souls. The saint of meekness and sweetness par excellence, St. Francis de Sales, often said: "Be as sweet as you can and remember that more flies are captured by a drop of honey than with a barrel of vinegar."

We must learn from the example of meekness that Christ gives us. Fr. Cantalamessa goes on to say, “In the case of turning the other cheek, for example, what is important is not the gesture of turning the other cheek (which might sometimes serve more to provoke a person), but not responding to violence with violence, but to win with calm.”

When Jesus tells us that He is meek and humble of heart, He draws attention to the proper domain of meekness: the heart. From the heart comes all pride, jealousy, and hatred. From the heart also comes love, forgiveness, and humility. Therefore, our focus should turn to our heart to consider if it is a source of meekness for us.

The beatitudes are meant to be practiced. We sometimes become discouraged when we fail. It is important to remember that they are a goal to strive for. They cannot be practiced with perfection, except by the One who is perfect: God. We must practice them so that we can live them with ever-increasing vigor.

Jesus is the perfect example of meekness. We can draw on His meekness through prayer and faith. This is our means of “putting on the meekness of Christ”.

Fr. Cantalamessa is a great preacher. Here is the full text of his sermon on meekness. You can find other homilies from him here.