Beatitudes – Meek 3

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth”, Jesus tells his audience in the Sermon on the Mount, as St. Matthew relates to us in the 5th verse of chapter 5. That passage can prove challenging to men, as they often misunderstand its meaning. Meekness is not weakness, but rather humility as we control the will to think of the other before ourselves (the Golden Rule). As with another suffering Beatitude, “Poor in Spirit,” those faithful who are at either the material or spiritual peripheries realize they need to put their trust in the Lord. And by trusting God, we realize the 2nd half of the passage: “for they will inherit the Earth.” What earth will the faithful inherit? The Kingdom of God!

Moses was “more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” (Num 12:3) Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey, ultimately humbling himself in the ultimate way for the “other”–for us and our salvation!