STEP 24 “LIVING MEEKLY”
On Meekness, Simplicity, Guilelessness, and Wickedness
Meekness = patient, mild, submissive.. Simplicity =simple state or quality, freedom from complexity.. Guilelessness = not being sly and/or cunning in dealing with others…Wickedness = sinful, evil…..
Quotes on Meekness:
“The greatness of the man's power is the measure of his surrender.” ― William Booth
“One should preach not from one's rational mind but rather from the heart. Only that which is from the heart can touch another heart. One must never attack or oppose anyone. If he who preaches must tell people to keep away from a certain kind of evil, he must do so meekly and humbly, with fear of God.” ― Thaddeus of Vitovnica
“Humility is the nearly impossible task of being more concerned with our own sins that we are with the sins of others.” ― Trevor hammack
“Men sometimes speak as if humility and meekness would rob us of what is noble and bold and manlike. O that all would believe that this is the nobility of the kingdom of heaven, that this is the royal spirit that the King of heaven displayed, that this is Godlike, to humble oneself, to become the servant of all!” ― Andrew Murray, Humility
We had long known the Lord without realizing that meekness and lowliness of heart should be the distinguishing feature of the disciple. Andrew Murray
If you plan to build a tall house of virtues, you must first lay deep foundations of humlilty. St Augustine
The lion can be tamed and made obedient, but your own wrath renders you wilder than any lion Saint John Chrysostom
Another rung of the ladder of the beatitudes - from poverty of spirit to mourning to meekness.
Meekness is an attitude of being content with both honor and dishonor, mirroring Christ. The “meek” have mastery over their passions, particularly anger. Meekness is directed and controlled strength.
The Greek word translated as “meek” praus was used to describe a wild animal who had been tamed and made gentle, a horse that would accept a rider, a dog that would tend sheep. In the human sphere it refers to a person who disciplines himself to be gentle rather than severe, nonviolent rather than violent.
The meek person is neither too hasty nor too slow-tempered, such a person bears reproaches and slights, is not bent on revenge, is free from bitterness and belligerence, possesses tranquility and steadiness of spirit.
For Jews, meekness is the essential quality of the human being in relationship to God. The equivalent Hebrew word anaw is often used to describe the stance of a man or woman aligned with God. Such a person seeks God’s guidance and is not bitter or resentful in obedience to the Divine Law.
Scriptural references to being meek and meekness
Num 12:3 - Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all men that were on the face
of the earth.
Psalm 10:17 - O LORD, thou wilt hear the desire of the meek; thou wilt strengthen their
heart, thou wilt incline thy ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that
man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
Psalm 37:11- But the meek shall possess the land, and delight themselves in abundant
prosperity.
Isa 29:19 - The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall
exult in the Holy One of Israel.
Matt 5:5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Matt. 11: 29 - Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
II Cor. 10:1 - I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ -- I
who am humble when face to face with you, but bold to you when I am away!--
Eph 3:20 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more
abundantly than all that we ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ
Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen. 4:1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord,
beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all
lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, 3 eager to
maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Col 3:12-13 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness,
lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint
against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must
forgive.
James 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive
with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good life let him show
his works in the meekness of wisdom.
Having shown us the danger of pride, St. John wishes to lead us step by step to the virtue of humility (Step 25). Before we consider humility, however, he insists that we must seek meekness.
The light of dawn comes before the sun, and meekness is the precursor of all humility… Before gazing at the sun of humility we must let the light of meekness flow over us. If we do, we will then be able to look steadily at the sun. The true order of these virtues teaches us that we are totally unable to turn our eyes to the sun before we have first become accustomed to the light.
What is meekness? St. John answers:
"Meekness is a mind consistent amid honor and dishonor; meekness prays quietly and sincerely for a neighbor however troublesome he may be; meekness is a rock looking out over the sea of anger which breaks the waves which come crashing on it and stays entirely unmoved... Meekness works alongside of obedience, guides a religious community, checks frenzy, curbs anger."
A meek person 1) He is not quick to defend or justify himself in the presence and thoughts of others. He is not easily unsettled by the words and opinions of others, 2) He guards his heart carefully against the intrusion of thoughts of "frenzy (against any thoughts which disturb his internal peace), 3) He is calm in the midst of disturbing events; he is not easily excited or provoked. 4) He watches over his words, carefully choosing to utter only those which bring peace, 5) He does not project himself into conversations or situations in which his presence is not desired, 6) He does not jump in to correct everyone and everything, 7) He is willing to wait for God to act and does not believe that his action is necessary to God, He knows how to pray and to be quiet, 9) He has no personal agenda and is concerned only for God's will - recognizing that God's will unfolds itself in ways that are unusual and unexpected. Thus, even in his concern for God's will, he is willing to calmly wait for God to accomplish His purpose. When he must act, he does so out of calm faith rather than panicky unbelief.
It is interesting that St. John connects meekness with simplicity and guilelessness:
"A meek soul is a throne of simplicity, but a wrathful mind is a creature of evil." "Guilelessness is the joyful condition of an uncalculating soul."
The emphasis on simplicity and guilelessness is, of course authentically orthodox. He says:
Let us run from the precipice of hypocrisy, from the pit of duplicity… People of this kind are fodder for demons. Fodder means food, dry hay for cows, cud..
He use three images as illustrations: childhood, Adam in the Garden and St. Paul the simple.
1) Childhood
During childhood, he tells us, there is an absence of concern to "fit in". Those who have struggled for simplicity live much the same. Fitting in with the crowd, and compromising one's integrity to do so, are not a part of their lifestyle. They are free from the necessity to change themselves (becoming social/spiritual chameleons) to "fit in" and to meet the expectations of others.
2) Adam in the Garden
From Adam in the Garden we learn that simplicity is the absence of self-awareness. St. John writes:
"As long as Adam has simplicity, he saw neither the nakedness of his soul nor the indecency of his flesh."
Adam was free from the desire to "look in the mirror" and the necessity of "standing on the scale." Does not a lot of vanity spring from an unhealthy desire to look good in the eyes of other people or to find out how we look to others?
Here we see why St. John keeps mentioning hypocrisy as he discusses simplicity. Our outside appearance often becomes the equivalent of a mask, designed to keep people from seeing us as we really are. Our outside appearance becomes divorced from our inner self.
The Ancient Greek term for a mask is prosopon (lit., "face").....Illustrations of theatrical masks from 5th century display helmet-like masks, covering the entire face and head, with holes for the eyes and a small aperture for the mouth, as well as an integrated wig. These paintings never show actual masks on the actors in performance; they are most often shown being handled by the actors before or after a performance, that liminal space between the audience and the stage, between myth and reality. This demonstrates the way in which the mask was to ‘melt’ into the face and allow the actor to vanish into the role…
For us, we wear masks… As was just mentioned…. Our outside appearance often becomes the equivalent of a mask, designed to keep people from seeing us as we really are. Our outside appearance becomes divorced from our inner self.
The inherent, simple connection between our inner soul and outer body becomes distorted. This distortion wreaks havoc on our spiritual lives.
One major purpose of the spiritual disciplines is to bring stability and cohesion back into our soul-body relationship. Reminding us of the words spoken to describe St John the Dwarf: He is on the outside what he is on the inside.” This is a tremendous definition of simplicity.
3) St Paul the simple
From St. Paul the Simple, we learn that simplicity is linked to obedience and firm faith. St. Paul was a disciple of Antony the Great. St. Antony thought him too old to be a monk, but Paul submitted to the severest disciplines with such unquestioning obedience that in a relatively short time he acquired holiness and spiritual powers even greater than his master's.
After relating this story, St. John draws this conclusion: "Fight to escape your own cleverness. If you do, then you will find salvation and an uprightness through Jesus Christ. . . "
If we follow the simple path - distrusting our own wisdom, doing the best we can yet realizing that our mind, without warmth of heart is a very weak tool - - then a Godly life will begin to be formed in us.
If you have strength to take this step, do not lose heart. For now you are imitating Christ your Master and you have been saved!!!
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