A Meek and Humble Heart Give Rest to the Soul

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Matthew 11:28-30 (A Meek and Humble Heart Give Rest to the Soul)

Jesus asks us to learn of him, for he is meek and humble of heart. Obedient to this word, I have made a special study of meekness and humility and they have not been easy lessons to learn. I have a choleric personality, attracted to strength, achievement and excellence. Meekness and humility, as I once perceived them, did not seem to fit in with my attractions. St. Thomas Aquinas helped me to understand meekness as that which modifies anger. St. Teresa of Avila taught me that humility is truth. And of course, I meditated on these qualities in the life and death of Jesus. But it was not until I truly saw meekness and humility incarnated in living human beings that I felt their irresistible loveliness and desired them for myself. And I also experienced a welcome rest for my soul every time I willingly renounced the yoke of arrogance and pride. We learn meekness and humility, not from books and exhortations, but like a child learns how to walk: by watching the grown-ups do it and then just doing it ourselves.