Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn from me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29

Jesus is calling us to a holy communion with Him that will transform our hearts, our minds and our lives. In the days of Jesus people were familiar with the word ‘yoke’. A yoke was a harness, typically made of wood, binding two animals together to ease the physical burden of work.  The yoke would allow the two animals to work as ONE.

Jesus is calling us to come to Him and be ONE with Him. His yoke of love unites our hearts to His Sacred Heart creating an inseparable bond between us.

Humility is often referred to as the foundation for all other virtues. Our relationship with God must begin with us emptying ourselves of all arrogance and pride which tends to come from us trusting ourselves and relying on our own power and strength.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

IN HUMILITY WE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR NOTHINGNESS AND PROFOUND NEED FOR GOD’S GRACE

I like to think of the humble person as the empty cup consecrated to God. This cup has been emptied of all attachments, cleansed by the Blood of Christ, ready to be filled by the Holy Spirit.  Clean and empty, the cup consecrated to God is prepared to serve Him and be filled with His love and grace.  The empty consecrated cup has no purpose until God fills it; so too the humble person acknowledges that without God’s grace and indwelling Spirit success is not possible.

One of the greatest mysteries that I have learned through many years of living in silence with God is that “Denial is the pathway to divine indulgence”

God cannot fill hearts that are already full of so many things. But if we ‘deny ourselves’ and strive to become the ‘empty chalice’ free of all worldly attachments, filled with desire for God’s love, we become prepared to be a vessel that God can use for His divine purposes.

THE MEEK SURRENDER TO GOD’S WILL

The world teaches us to believe in ourselves, but God wills for us to believe in Him, and meekness calls us to surrender and respond to God’s teaching and Holy Will.

Consider the clay that yields to the design of the sculptor. If that clay were rigid and unconforming, the masterpiece would never be created. But if the clay is pliable it conforms to the artists will enabling it to become “a new creation’. It is no longer without form; it is renewed based on the design of the sculptor.

In a similar way the meek soul responds to God’s grace, slowly and surely. The meek soul submits to God’s will listening attentively to God’s call.  The meek soul exists to serve God, enabling God to fulfill His divine plans.

If we refuse to be ‘humble’ and ‘meek’ we will never become the people God’s wants us to be. The humble person trusts in God’s love and power, recognizing that we cannot accomplish anything without God’s grace. The meek person surrenders and submits to God’s holy will turning away from sin, seeking forgiveness and pardon for offending God.

Struggle, sacrifice and even humiliation may be part of the spiritual birthing process. Listening is one of the most important aspects of praying well. Hearing God’s voice as spoken in the Holy Scriptures and in the quiet of our hearts reveals God’s purpose and plan for a life renewed and sustained by God’s divine love.

If we are to live like ‘humble’ and ‘meek’ disciples we must keep trusting in Jesus to show us the way.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

MEEK IS NOT WEAK – MEEK IS SUBMISSIVE

As disciples we must be submissive to the Holy Spirit, conformed to the Holy Will of God, ever listening and responding to His inspiration and call.

For St. Peter, St. Paul and many of the early apostles being meek ultimately meant to surrender to martyrdom.

For Jesus being meek meant giving everything for our redemption.

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” Isaiah 53:3

The meekness of Jesus Christ led Him to accept betrayal, rejection, torture and the most brutal execution–crucifixion.

On the night before Jesus died, Jesus prayed “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Matthew 26:39

Our humanity will always cause us to want to run away from suffering and pain, but the Spirit of God dwelling within us enables us to surrender to God’s will NOT our will.

MEEKNESS IS SURRENDER TO GOD, EVEN IN THE FACE OF DEATH

I always envisioned myself as a corporate executive doing important deals that would open up new opportunities and futures.   My employers fed that dream with training and development, with promotions and with promises of new career opportunities. I had a plan and I was pursuing that plan, until God interrupted me. He interrupted me by causing me to feel empty. I had accomplished some of my goals. I was making a good salary and I was being groomed for more senior leadership but I wasn’t happy.

I realized that God was calling me to something very different. It is a good thing that God revealed the new plan to me slowly because it involved  sacrifices, sacrifices that only in time would I begin to see as blessings and privileges.

My sacrifice involved leaving money and power behind. It involved exiting many relationships and it involved many years of living in daily silence so I could become ONE with Our Lord Jesus, learning His Word and His Way.   Slowly over the course of many years Jesus formed me into His disciple enabling me to work with Him as an evangelist to spread His message of Truth and Love all over the world.

It’s impossible for me to reveal the many milestones and learning opportunities God gave me over the course of almost two decades but suffice to say that I learned that God wants time with us; He wants to live with us in an intimate relationship based on a total surrender to His Will and if we are willing to strive to be all His, He will teach us what it means to truly be a child of God and disciple of Christ.

What I do want to reveal in this reflection is something that I believe was the most transformational thing God has had me doing everyday for well over ten years and this one thing involves taking a daily walk with Jesus to Calvary in remembrance of the Passion of Christ. Every day at 3pm, the Time Jesus died on the Cross, I take a spiritual walk to the place where Jesus was crucified. I walk with Him as I remember His sacrifice and as I do I am humbled to see the greatest love the world has ever known and will ever know, the love of Our Saviour Jesus Christ. His love silences the power of temptation in my life and unites me to Him IN A BOND OF TOTAL SURRENDER AND LOVE. All I want now is to please Jesus and to fulfill the plans He has for me.

Holy Merciful Lord who gave everything for our salvation, I love You above all things and above all people, and I love You within all things and within all people.   Please help me to honour You and to fulfill the plans You have for me.  You are my heart’s desire Jesus. Amen

Please join A Peaceful Revolution in the Name of Jesus Christ, a movement uniting Christians in daily remembrance of the Passion of Christ. We unite at the Time Jesus died for us, 3pm, to remember God’s sacrifice and to pray for Jesus to send His Holy Spirit upon our world to silence the power of the evil one and bring peace to our world and to our hearts.

Jesus loves you so very much!  Give Him your heart and your mind and your life!