Ch. XXXVI. On the meekness of Christ

MEEKNESS is the daughter of humility; the two virtues are inseparably allied, and the increase of one is exactly proportioned to the progress of the other. How perfect, then, must have been the meekness of Christ, and how well was he entitled to say, "Learn of me, because I am meek!" With the practice of that amiable virtue he admirably combined the exercise of zeal and firmness, displaying a holy indignation, and even exerting his Divine authority, when it was necessary to defend the interests of heaven, to protect the privileges of truth, to correct abuses, or to reprove hypocrites who imposed on the credulity of the people by multiplied external forms of piety. But when only his personal prerogatives were at stake he never repelled insult or outrage; if he refuted calumny, it was with extreme moderation; not the slightest anger was perceptible in his words or deportment, and to the rage of his enemies he simply opposed the calm, incontrovertible arguments of Divine wisdom. In the exercise of his marvellous meekness he had but to follow the natural impulse of his sacred Heart, wherein lay its source, and, as the movements of his soul were at all times regulated by the will of the Word, it was utterly impossible its equanimity should ever be even slightly disturbed. Yet it must be observed that as no being was ever endowed with feelings so acutely sensitive and so delicately refined, none was ever in consequence so keenly alive to the malice and injustice of men, for which he experienced all the abhorrence a God could feel.

His meekness was called into constant action by the contradictions encountered during his public life, and it shone with a brilliant lustre in the means he adopted to justify himself against many serious accusations, such as violating the Sabbath, of casting out devils through the agency of Beelzebub, the prince of devils, of associating familiarly with sinners, or again, of being a Samaritan, a man possessed by an evil spirit, and a blasphemer. The inveterate hatred of the Jews frequently inspired them with the resolution of forcibly seizing his person and casting him from a precipice or stoning him to death. Their fury was extreme, and his gentle forbearance, far from appeasing, served but to increase its violence, We have already considered the conduct of Christ towards his apostles, who, no less than his enemies, furnished ample opportunity for the exercise of his Divine meekness. He lived among them rather as a friend and a father than a master, treating them almost as equals. When we remember who he was and consider his infinite superiority, not only as God, but even as man, his goodness and affability cannot fail to excite our wondering admiration. They were simple in heart and free from vice, yet subject to many faults and bad habits. For these he reproved them with wisdom and moderation when he judged a reprehension advantageous; but while their imperfections retained dominion he patiently bore with them, knowing their reformation would be complete only after the descent of the Holy Ghost. The holier he was himself the more must he have suffered from their frailties, yet in no instance did he, in consequence, address them harshly or reproachfully. In his efforts for their correction he never sought any other end than their own immediate advantage, ever laboring to gain their hearts by the sweet attractions of charity and to cement the union which bound them to him and to each other.

They were ignorant, slow of comprehension, and incapable of understanding heavenly things. How great the difficulty he must have experienced in teaching them! How low he must have stooped to attain the level of their uncultivated minds! How frequently he must have repeated the same instruction! And who but himself could have refrained from at least an interior emotion of impatience at seeing how little they understood or retained of those heavenly lessons, which were in a manner lost? Teachers are the more liable to irritation and discouragement in proportion as their own intellect is brilliant and that of their pupils obscure. I know not if any saint be so entirely master of his feelings as to control them perfectly while imparting instruction to minds of a certain cast. Hence we may form an idea of the ineffable meekness of Christ, who, though possessing all the treasures of Divine knowledge, was never disheartened in his intercourse with those earthly-minded and illiterate beings, and neglected no opportunity of elevating their thoughts to the contemplation of spiritual things. He could easily have imparted to them more abundant light and grace; he could have removed their prejudices and opened their understanding to penetrate the Scriptures; he did so after his resurrection, but not sooner, for the hour had not come, and he awaited it with perfect submission to his Father's will, testifying no desire to anticipate its arrival.

Meekness is a virtue of daily practice, and its necessity of constant recurrence in the intercourse of social and domestic life. No individual is exempt from faults; it does not always depend on us to correct those of our neighbor; perhaps we have no authority to do so, perhaps we have, but that our efforts to effect a reformation have hitherto proved fruitless. In such cases the only alternative is to support patiently what we cannot remedy. "Bear ye one another's burdens," said St. Paul, "and so you shall fulfil the law of Christ" (Gal. vi. 2), a precept indispensably necessary to the maintenance of peace and union in private families, in secular and religious communities—in short, wherever men live in society. What meekness is requisite for the preservation of that peace and union! By meekness I do not mean inert passiveness, sometimes inherent in the character, and resulting rather from apathy, indolence, and weakness of mind than virtue. Neither do I mean feigned moderation, which springs from politeness, policy, or prudence, and is merely external, the motives whence it arises having no tincture of divine charity, and, in numberless instances, either losing their influence or ceasing altogether to exist. The meekness now under consideration is wholly supernatural, both in itself and in its principle; it is the fruit of humility, of charity, of the empire of grace over nature, of habitual union with God, and of the undisturbed reign of heaven's peace over the faculties of the soul.

If much meekness is requisite in bearing the faults of our neighbor, still more is perhaps necessary in correcting them, because with meekness must then be combined firmness, zeal, and holy anger, inspired by grace. How pure must zeal be to be meek! How prudent must firmness be to escape the extreme of inflexible harshness! How intimately must the soul be united to God to exercise just indignation without losing her equanimity or secretly indulging her natural impetuosity! Reprehension accompanied by the requisite qualities is the triumph of meekness. Nothing is more rare than to correct with that attention to time and manner which insures the success of the reprimand, and, instead of arousing resentment, leads to a recognition of the fault in question with a resolution of amendment. Meekness should form the peculiar study of all who are charged with the conduct of others; who are obliged to give advice or to administer reproof. It is difficult to attain the medium between culpable apathy and excessive severity, and unless the soul be well advanced in the interior life she will not easily avoid one or other of these extremes. To dispose the mind to receive reprehension or counsel with profit, to acquire a gentle influence over the heart and understanding, to make due allowances for human frailty, to exact no more than can be accomplished; to gain the confidence of the erring and gradually prepare them for a spiritual cure, this is a divine art which only God can teach, and which he imparts but to those of whom his spirit has taken full possession.

Preachers and spiritual writers should study to clothe their instructions in the attractive garb of an insinuating style. How difficult to resist the heavenly influence of the works of a Thomas à Kempis, a St. Francis de Sales, a Fénelon! Their pen, ever guided by the sweet spirit of meekness, depicts virtue in colors so engaging that it is impossible to refuse a practical assent to doctrine invested with such powerful attractions. These men of prayer were but the organs of grace, which, encountering in their docile hearts no opposition to its designs, spoke through them with that divine unction which so irresistibly captivates the will. Useful and solid works on the interior life may always be recognized by a prevailing spirit of moderation peculiar to themselves, and in this spirit alone should the sacred maxims of Christ ever be explained.

Meekness is especially necessary for those whose peculiar position obliges them to impart private instruction, either in the tribunal of penance or in familiar conversation. They have to encounter weakness of intellect, perversity of heart and evil dispositions of many kinds. If they exhibit ill-humor, impatience, or haughtiness, if they assume an authoritative, imperious air they will create a prejudice both against themselves and their doctrine, and, after disgusting, will alienate their hearers. They should study the method adopted by grace in imparting its Divine lessons; the wisdom with which it adapts its instructions to each capacity; the imperceptible gradations by which it insinuates its light; the gentle force with which it gradually subdues the will, perpetually renewing its efforts, undeterred by a first repulse; ever watchful for the propitious moment, ever judicious in the selection of the favorable opportunity, ever persevering in its opposition to obstacles, ever wise in the choice of motives most calculated to win the heart, ever prudent in concealing or removing such difficulties as to mortal weakness might seem insuperable. Such were the instructions of Jesus Christ, the author of grace; such should also be the lessons of those to whom he has confided the ministry of his Word, or whom, on particular occasions, he especially inspires to assist their neighbor by their counsels.

It must not be supposed that meekness excludes zeal; the two virtues are, on the contrary, quite consistent, one moderating the ardor and regulating the impetuosity of the other. Whenever the occasion demanded it Jesus Christ displayed lively zeal without prejudice to his meekness. St. Paul, his faithful imitator, combines in his epistles the energy of holy anger with the tenderness of charity. St. John, who is meekness itself, openly vents his indignation against the enemies of Christ and the violators of the precept of fraternal love. Yield unreservedly to the influence of the spirit of God; let him speak by your lips and guide the movements of your heart. Above all, be careful that nature have no share in a work which should be purely supernatural, for, whether its influence extend to interior disposition or merely to external manner, it will mar the success of the holy enterprise, and, after much labor, nothing will remain but regret for having so ill co-operated with grace.