Replies

Disarmed by the Meekness of God

Wednesday, 06 November 2013 10:03

Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.

Just as the Sacred Host is the icon of the nakedness of God become poor for our sakes, so too is the Sacred Host the icon of the meekness of God. One who enters into the prayer of adoration will find himself utterly disarmed by the meekness of God. The experience of the meekness of God in Eucharistic adoration is not unlike what Elijah experienced in “a sound of sheer silence” on Mount Horeb.

A Sound of Sheer Silence

He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. (1 Kings 19:11–12)

Content to Wait

The meek man will be a lover of silence, and the lover of silence will be meek. Quietness and meekness go together. What is meekness in God, and what is it in man? Meekness is more than the mere absence of aggressivity; it is more than the quality of being unthreatening, gentle, and approachable. By not seeking to impose himself, the meek man graces others with the freedom to respond to him sincerely and from the heart. The meek man is content to wait for the response of another. He never forces the outcome of an encounter, or tries to attain his own ends by coercion.

One cannot gaze upon the Sacred Host without being touched by the meekness of God. The Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar is the real presence of the Lord God of Sabaoth, the God concerning whom the prophet Isaias wrote:

I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and elevated: and his train filled the temple. Upon it stood the seraphims: the one had six wings, and the other had six wings: with two they covered his face, and with two they covered his feet, and with two they flew. And they cried one to another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God of hosts, all the earth is full of his glory. And the lintels of the doors were moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: Woe is me, because I have held my peace; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people that hath unclean lips, and I have seen with my eyes the King the Lord of hosts. (Isaias 6:1–5)

The Courtesy of God

At the same time this Thrice–Holy God, enthroned in glory and adored by angelic choirs, “shall not cry, nor have respect to person, neither shall his voice be heard abroad. The bruised reed He shall not break, and smoking flax He shall not quench” (Isaias 42:2–3). When you go to adoration, do not expect to be pressured by God. Be certain, rather, of encountering a God who is infinitely gentle. He is humble, courteous, willing to wait, and unwilling to impose Himself on the one who approaches Him. Who is there upon the altar if not the Lamb who, in meekness and silence, went to His most bitter Passion?

His Divine Friendship

Do not mistake the meekness of God for indifference on His part, nor for an unwillingness to communicate with you. Those whom He invites to adoration are dear friends with whom He shares the secrets of His Heart. “I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends: because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

Apprenticeship to Adoration

The meekness of God in the Sacred Host means that one must be apprenticed to the prayer of adoration over time. It is only because we are not meek, because we would impose our own conditions, and expectations, and timetables on God, that we find adoration tedious. By allowing oneself to be disarmed by the meekness of the hidden Christ, one becomes capable of “possessing the land,” that is, of being at home amidst the things that God has prepared for His adorers, His friends: “Which none of the princes of this world knew; for if they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written: That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him. But to us God hath revealed them, by this Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:8–10).

Regnum Christi

Discipleship: Neither Cheap nor Easy

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Wednesday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time

Father Steven Reilly, LC

Luke 14: 25-33

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, "If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ´This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.´ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple."

Introductory Prayer: Lord God, I believe that you are present here for this moment of prayer. Even if I have not really longed for this time together, I know that you have been waiting for me. As an expression of my gratitude and love, I truly wish to give myself totally to you during this meditation.

Petition: Lord, help me to realize that holiness is worth the effort!

1. A Capital Campaign for Holiness: Our Lord remarks on the need to calculate the costs and estimate the amount of resources needed in a building project. That sounds like a “feasibility study,” the first step of any capital campaign. Whether a parish is trying to build a new hall, or a school is trying to put up a new building, there’s no way to avoid a great deal of work in order to make the endeavor successful. The Lord is saying something similar about our spiritual lives. We have to know what it will take to achieve the goal. His answer to this question? Much sacrifice. This can sound daunting. But just like the thrill of cutting the ribbon when the building is all paid for and ready to be used, the effort to grow in holiness will result in a magnificent eternity!

2. A Battle Plan’s First Goal? The answer is simple: Don’t get beat! This second image of our Lord makes another important point about discipleship. War is tough, and if getting beat is a likely prospect, you’d better find other tactics to achieve the goal. So too with our discipleship. In our efforts to grow holy, some “battles” will be won easily; others will need to be avoided completely. So let’s not get beat by foolishly overestimating our capacities. This happens especially when we don’t avoid the occasions of sin, thinking ourselves strong enough to handle them. At times, the best battle strategy is not to fight, but to flee!

3. What Place for Our Relationships? In all this reflection about plans and resources, the Lord has some extremely radical words about our relationships. In the hyperbole of “hating father and mother” a very important teaching emerges: As vital as these relationships are, they cannot take the first place in our heart. That place belongs to the source of our entire existence, the one who loves us with a tender and passionate love — God himself. This is why the Cross is so important. When we see how thoroughly Jesus embraces the will of God above everything and everyone, he gives us a pattern to follow. But the divine irony is that by following Christ in the way of the cross, this “hatred” actually results in a greater and more self-sacrificing love in those very relationships that have to take a back seat to the Lord.

Conversation with Christ: Oh Jesus, following you is not easy. You ask me to put everything in second place to you and pick up my cross every day. I won’t be able to do this without your grace. I am weak and frail, but I believe that you will give me the strength I need.

Resolution: I will take some time and think about my priorities to make sure that God is always coming first.