MEEKNESS
Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls... Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Jesus Christ (Savior)
God (Father)
Behold My Servant, whom I have chosen, My Beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My spirit on Him, and He will proclaim judgment to the nations, He will not contradict, He will not cry, and no one will hear His voice in the streets; He will not break a bruised reed, nor will He quench the smoking flax, until He brings victory to the judgment, and in His name the nations will trust (Matt. 12:18-21; Is. 42:1-4).
GOSPEL
Jesus Christ (Savior)
I am meek and lowly in heart
Only on the meek and silent and trembling of My words. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, 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, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light (Matthew 11: 28-30).
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5).
Saint Anthony the Great
Meekness and self-control are happiness and good hope for human souls.
Venerable John Climacus
About meekness, simplicity and gentleness, which do not come from nature, but are acquired through diligence and labor, and about wickedness
The morning light precedes the sun, and the forerunner of all humility is meekness, therefore let us listen to the true Light, Christ, who so arranges these virtues in their gradualness. Learn from Me, He says, for I am meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29). So, before the sun we must be illuminated by light, and then we will look more clearly at the sun itself, for it is impossible, impossible, I say, for someone to see the sun who is not first illuminated by that light, as the very property of these virtues shows.
Meekness is an unchangeable disposition of the mind, which remains the same in honor and dishonor.
Meekness consists in, when insulted by your neighbor, without embarrassment and sincerely praying for him.
Meekness is a rock rising above the sea of irritability, against which all the waves that rush towards it break; but it itself does not waver.
Meekness is the affirmation of patience, the door, or, better said, the mother of love, the beginning of spiritual reasoning, for Scripture says: The Lord will teach the meek in His way (Ps. 24:9). She is an intercessor for the remission of sins, boldness in prayer, the receptacle of the Holy Spirit. To whom will I look, says the Lord, only to the meek and silent (Isa. 66:2).
Meekness is an accomplice of obedience, a guide of brotherhood, a bridle to fury, a suppression of anger, a giver of joy, an imitation of Christ, an angelic quality, a bond against demons and a shield against grief.
The Lord rests in meek hearts, and the rebellious soul is the seat of the devil.
The meek will inherit the land, or better yet, dominate the land, and the frantic will consume their land in anger.
A meek soul is the throne of simplicity, but the wrathful is the worker of wickedness.
A quiet soul will accommodate words of wisdom, for it is said: The Lord will guide the meek in judgment (Ps. 24:9), and especially in reasoning.
The right soul is the companion of humility, while the evil one is the slave of pride.
The souls of the meek will be filled with reason, but an angry mind is a companion of darkness and unreason.
An angry man and a hypocrite met each other, and it was impossible to find a right word in their conversation. If you open the heart of the first, you will find fury, and if you test the soul of the second, you will see deceit.
Simplicity is an established habit of the soul, which has become alien to any distinction and incapable of deceit.
Gentleness is a quiet dispensation of the soul, free from any trickery.
Rightness is an invisible thought, a sincere disposition, an unfeigned and unprepared word.
The one who is not wicked is the one who is in the natural purity of the soul, as it was created, and who deals with everyone sincerely.
The first characteristic of childhood is indifferent simplicity, and as long as Adam had it, he did not see the nakedness of his soul, and nothing shameful in the nakedness of his flesh. Laudable and blessed is the simplicity that occurs in some by nature, but not as much as that which is transformed out of wickedness through much sweat and labor, for the first covers us from diversity and passions, and the second is the cause of the highest humility and meekness, which is why the reward of the first not great, but the last most glorious.
All who want to attract the Lord to themselves, let us approach Him, like disciples to the Teacher, with simplicity, without pretense, without double-mindedness and guile, without inquisitiveness. He, being simple and kind, wants the souls who come to Him to be simple and kind, for whoever does not have simplicity cannot ever see humility.
True withdrawal from the world, obedience and guarding the mouth often had great power, and beyond hope they healed incurable passions.
If reason puffs up many, then, on the contrary, ignorance and lack of learning in some way moderately humble.
Blessed Paul, nicknamed the Most Simple, showed us a clear example, rule and example of blessed simplicity, for no one has seen or heard anywhere, and can never see such success in such a short time.
A simple-hearted monk, like a dumb person endowed with reason, is always obedient, completely placing his burden on his leader, and just as an animal does not contradict the one who knits it, so the right soul does not resist the mentor, but will follow the leader wherever he wants, although would lead him to slaughter, he doesn’t know how to contradict.
The inconvenience of the rich will enter the kingdom of heaven; it is inconvenient and the foolish sages of this world will enter into simplicity.
Fight and try to laugh at your wisdom. By doing this, you will find salvation and righteousness in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Saint Basil the Great
About meekness and how love appears
The ascetic must be filled with meekness as much as possible, because he has either partaken or desires to partake of the Spirit of meekness, and he who receives this Spirit into himself must become like the Acceptable One. If, however, when indignation is necessary, namely, at the laziness of someone subordinate to us, then let indignation be dissolved by prudence. For murderers use knives, and doctors also use them. But some, because they use a knife out of anger and cruelty, do the most reckless things with it, killing their own kind, while others, because they use a knife with reason, derive great benefit from this, because they save the lives of those in danger. Thus, he who knows how to be indignant with reason does great good to the one against whom he shows indignation, correcting his laziness or guile, but he who has the passion of anger does not produce anything healthy.
And that timely indignation is appropriate for those who care about meekness, this is clear from the following. And Moses, of whom it is testified that he was meek above all men” (Num. 12:3), when circumstances demanded it, became indignant and so prostrated himself in a movement of anger that he concluded his indignation by killing his fellow tribesmen - one day, when they built a calf (Ex. 32:27), another time, when they were defiled by Beelphegor (Numbers 25:5).
Therefore, even a meek person can become heated with reason, without damaging the perfection of meekness in himself. Remaining motionless or not showing indignation when it should be is a sign of an inactive nature, and not meekness. But meekness is usually followed by gentleness, because meekness is the mother of gentleness. And in truly meek people, who do not have a heavy disposition, there is no less than this kindness, because goodness is the basis of meekness. All this, mutually dissolved and combined together, produces from itself the best of virtues - love.
“One day they built a little body...”
Meekness is the greatest of the virtues, therefore it is numbered among the beatitudes... the blessings of the meek: for they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). This land, Heavenly Jerusalem, is not a prey for those who compete, but is given as an inheritance to the long-suffering and meek.
Those who have tamed their morals, freed from all passion, in whose souls no rebellion has settled - they are called meek.
The ascetic must, as much as possible, be filled with meekness, because he has either partaken or desires to partake of the spirit of meekness, and the one who receives this spirit must become like that which is acceptable.
And it is appropriate for those who care about meekness to have timely indignation... Remaining motionless or not showing indignation when it should be is a sign of an inactive nature, and not meekness.
Meekness is usually followed by gentleness, because meekness is the mother of gentleness. And in truly meek people, who do not have a heavy disposition, there is no less than this kindness, because goodness is the basis of meekness. All this, mutually dissolved and combined together, produces from itself the best of virtues - love.
Meek is one who does not change his judgment about what is required to please God.
Saint Gregory the Theologian
Your meekness will turn your offender to meekness
Did you get hit on the lanita (cheek)? Why do you allow your other cheek to remain without acquisition? If the first one suffered this involuntarily, her merit is not great, and you, if you want, only have to do something more, namely, voluntarily substitute another cheek in order to become worthy of the reward. Have you had your tunic taken off? Give away other clothes, if you have them, even let them take off the third one: you will not be left without acquisition if you leave this matter to God. Are we being slandered? Let us bless the wicked. Are we spat upon? Let us hasten to gain honor from God. Are we being persecuted? But no one will separate us from God. He is our only inalienable treasure. Is anyone cursing you? Pray for the curser. Threatens to do you harm? And you threaten that you will endure. Starts to carry out threats? Your duty is to do good. Thus, you will gain two important benefits: you yourself will be a perfect keeper of the law, and your meekness will turn your offender to meekness, and will turn your enemy into a disciple, thereby overcoming the fact that he has taken over you.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa
Meekness is worthy of praise
That meekness is worthy of gratification can be seen by anyone in the passion of irritation. For as soon as a word, or some deed, or the suggestion of some trouble arouses such a disease, the blood in the heart boils, and the soul is ready to move towards vengeance, and just as, according to legend, other drugs change our nature into the image of dumb animals, so then man out of irritation he suddenly becomes a boar, or a dog, or a leopard, or some other similar animal; he has bloodshot eyes, standing on end and bristling hair, a stern voice, barbed speech, a tongue numb with passion and unable to serve internal impulses, lips that do not move, do not utter words, do not retain the moisture generated by passion in his mouth, but is ugly along with the sound spitting out this foam, and such are the hands, such are the legs, such is the entire structure of the body, each member corresponds to passion. Therefore, if such an irritated person, who has bliss in mind with the help of reason, tames the disease and expresses this with a calm look and a quiet voice, like some doctor who, with his art, heals those who are maddened to the point of disgrace, then won’t you say it yourself, comparing one on the other hand, that this beast is pitiful and vile, but the meek one is worthy of praise, whom even the malice of his neighbor has not forced to lose his good looks?
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian
Who is truly meek?
Those who believe are not angry and contentious, but remain meek, imitating the Lord. The truly meek cannot tolerate the transgression of God’s commandments in any person, but even at the same time he weeps for those who transgress these commandments and sin, and just as sincerely as if he himself had sinned.
Saint John Chrysostom
Nothing brings peace and quiet to the soul like meekness and humbleness of mind.
When the one who wants to offend finds that the offended is ready to endure more than he wanted, and, having satisfied his passion, sees that the offended one shows his generosity in abundance, he will walk away, defeated and disgraced by the superiority of patience, and even if he were a beast and even more ferocious than him, he will later become more modest, clearly seeing from the comparison both his anger and his virtue.
Meekness is not generally good, but only when the time demands it, and without this it can be weakness.
Truly, there is nothing stronger than her “meekness,” nothing more powerful. It introduces our soul into a constant world, forcing it to strive towards it, as if to a pier, and thus serves as a source of all peace for us.
There is nothing more powerful than meekness. Just as poured water extinguishes a strongly burning flame, so a word spoken with meekness quells anger, ignited stronger than the fire in the furnace, as a result of which a double benefit occurs for us, by this we ourselves discover meekness in ourselves and, having calmed the irritable spirit of our brother, we save from shocking his mind.
We overcome lions and tame their temper, and do you doubt whether you can change a beast-like thought into a meek one? While a lion is characterized by savagery by nature, and meekness is unnatural, you, on the contrary, are characterized by meekness by nature and unnatural savagery... Your soul has reason, and the fear of God, and many benefits from all sides... It is possible for you, if you want, to be meek and quiet.
Then it is especially necessary to show meekness, when we are dealing with the evil and hostile, then its strength is revealed, then its effectiveness, dignity and benefit shines.
He is meek who can endure insults inflicted on himself, and protects those who are unjustly offended, and strongly rebels against those who offend him.
How can we acquire meekness?
If we constantly think about our sins, if we grieve and cry. A soul immersed in such lamentation can neither be irritated nor angry.
Every virtue is good, but especially kindness and meekness. She reveals the people in us, she distinguishes us from animals, she makes us equal to Angels.
The soul of the meek is like some solitary place where great silence reigns...
The soul of the meek is like some mountain peak, where a light wind blows and where a pure ray of sun falls.
A meek person is pleasant to himself and useful to others, but an angry person is unpleasant to himself and harmful to others.
Meekness is observed when we do not think anything bad against our neighbor.
Meekness is a sign of great strength; to be meek, you need to have a noble, courageous and very high soul. Do you really think that it takes little mental strength to receive insults and not be indignant? The one who calls such disposition towards one’s neighbors even courage will not be mistaken.
Great effort is required to know what constitutes meekness and what constitutes boldness; diligence is necessary because vices are mixed with these virtues: with boldness - insolence, with meekness - cowardice. Everyone should be careful not to attribute virtue to themselves while indulging in vice.
If we have discovered meekness, we will become invincible for everyone, and not a single person, small or large, will be able to harm us. If someone starts talking bad about you, he will not harm you at all, but he will cause the greatest harm to himself; if someone hurts you, all the harm will fall on the offender.
If we pay for injustice with meekness, then, having quenched all the anger (of the enemy), through this, in front of him, we, as it were, sat down at the judgment seat, deciding the matter in our favor.
Anyone who is kind and meek is easily attracted to philanthropy and cannot tolerate neglect of those in need, considering the poverty of others to be a misfortune for himself.
God loves the human race not so much for virginity, for fasting, for contempt of property, for the willingness to stretch out his hand to those in need, but for meekness and order in morals.
A kind and meek husband does not allow envy, this evil disease, into his soul, but at the sight of brothers enjoying good fame, he rejoices and wishes happiness, considering the good fame of others to be good glory for himself, considering the common property of friends, rejoicing with them in good, grieving with them in sorrow.
Just as a ray of sun, having appeared, quickly drives away the darkness, so the kind and meek quickly changes confusion and quarrel into peace and silence.
The meek is the father of orphans, the protector of widows, the guardian of poverty, the helper of the offended, and truthful everywhere.
There are many virtues befitting Christian men, but most of all is meekness, because Christ calls only those who shine in it zealots of God. We should, when someone insults us, or hits us, or does something else terrible, endure everything nobly with a calm soul, thinking about the fact that meekness makes us imitators of God. And our Lord and Savior Himself, being insulted, receiving blows, being nailed, crucifixion, meekly endured Jewish madness, and did not take revenge, having so much power to take revenge on the wicked.
Of the many and great things with which the life of the righteous was and was decorated... life of kindness and a meek attitude towards those who offend, above all else, made these men brilliant.
Even if you performed miracles, even if you raised the dead, even if you did something else similar, the pagans will never be as surprised by you as when they see you meek, kind and courteous.
It is called meekness not only when someone meekly endures insults from strong people, but when he gives in, being insulted by people who are considered inferior.
Do not be meek with one and arrogant with another, but be meek with everyone, whether friend or foe, great person or small, because this is what humility consists of. You can be meek, and at the same time irritable and angry, but there is no benefit in this, because one possessed by anger often ruins everything.
Venerable Peter of Damascus
Meekness leads the mind to knowledge and reasoning
Meekness is the beginning of humility, and humility is the door of dispassion, and through dispassion, one who knows his nature will acquire enduring and perfect love - what he was before birth and what will happen after death.
Meekness means that a person always remains the same, whether in unfortunate or prosperous times he acts and thinks, and does not care about honor or dishonor, but accepts pleasant and sorrowful things with joy and is not embarrassed...
Abba Isaiah
Enduring everything that happens without embarrassment gives birth to meekness...
Venerable Mark the Ascetic
He who is meek in God is wiser than the wise and wisest among the wise
The meek according to God is the wisest among the wise, and the humble in heart is the mighty among the mighty, since they bear the yoke of Christ wisely.
He who is meek according to God is wiser than the wise, and he who is humble in heart is stronger than the mighty, for they wisely bear the yoke of Christ.
For a meek person, the word of faith (about the consolations of faith) is appropriate, since he does not tempt the long-suffering of God and is not struck (beaten) by frequent transgressions (of the will of God, or commandments).
Jacob made Joseph a colorful robe. And the Lord grants to the meek the knowledge of the truth, as it is written: The Lord will teach the meek in His way (Psalm 24:9).
Venerable Ephraim the Syrian
The meek, even if offended, rejoices; even if sorrowful, he thanks
Hasten to meekness, hearing how it is pleased, hearing what the undeceitful Isaiah speaks about it through the Holy Spirit. On whom shall I rest my gaze? The Lord says: Only on the meek and silent and trembling of My words. Truly blessed and thrice blessed is the man in whom there is meekness. The Holy Savior and Lord confirms this about him, saying: blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth.
Acquire meekness, for the meek are adorned with every good work. The meek, even if offended, rejoices; even if he is sorrowful, he gives thanks; he pacifies the angry with love; taking blows, remains firm; during a quarrel he is calm, in submission he is cheerful, he is not hurt by pride, he rejoices in humiliation, he is not proud of his merits, he does not boast, he lives in silence with everyone; He is submissive to any authority, ready for any task, deserves approval in everything, everyone praises him. He is away from guile, far from hypocrisy. He does not serve cunning, does not submit to envy, abhors slander, does not tolerate earphones, hates scolders, and averts earphones. O blessed wealth - meekness! She is glorified by everyone. Blessed is the man who with meekness bore the yoke of the Lord Christ to the end, because pride is dangerous.
Meekness in a person prevents irritability.
Venerable Neil of Sinai
The greatest good is meekness; having acquired it, the great Moses saw God as much as a man can see. The meekness of a husband is remembered by God (Ps. 131:1), and a non-wrathful soul becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Venerable Isidore Pelusiot
The Lord requires us to become like children—not to return to childhood, but to renounce malice, so that we may have childlike simplicity.
Abba Evagrius of Pontus
Wisdom rests in the meek heart.
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk
Even the most ferocious enemies bow down with meekness
Our Lord was reproached, but did not reproach Himself, thereby teaching us to deal with our enemies meekly and patiently, not to reproach those who reproach, and not to slander those who slander, but either to remain silent, or to answer righteously without anger and with meekness. If our Lord, the sinless one who was reproached, did not reproach, how much more should we, his servants and sinners, do this and imitate our Lord .
Just as fire is not extinguished by fire, so anger is not overcome by anger, but is inflamed even more. And through meekness the most ferocious enemies often bow down, are softened and reconciled.
Hate the enmity, not the person; destroy his hatred, which is destroyed by love and patience. Think of him not as your enemy, but think that he is your brother, a creation of God, a man created in the image of God, redeemed by the Blood of the Son of God, and moreover, called to eternal blessedness, incited by the devil, and not of himself, he is persecuting you , and you place the blame on this enemy. Don’t talk about what he does to you, but talk about what you need to do with him, and what the law of Christ commands, and how to make peace with him. Pray to the One who commanded to love your enemies, to give you the spirit of love and meekness to overcome natural evil .
Saint Dmitry of Rostov
Only those who are gentle and upright, those who are not defiled, who walk along the blameless path, cleave to Me.
The forefather of Christ, Saint David, indicating to subsequent generations his character as he was during his reign, and calling gentleness the first virtue, says: “I will walk in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house” (Ps. 100:2); He says about himself that he did not like evil people and abhorred them: “I have not sat with deceitful people, and I will not go with treacherous people,” “I will drive out the one who secretly slanderes his neighbor; I will not tolerate the proud of the eyes and the haughty of the heart” (Ps. 25:4; 100:5) But O holy David! Who was your friend, whom did you love, with whom were you in friendly communication? David answers: “Let integrity and righteousness protect me” and “whoever walks in the way of integrity will serve me” (Ps. 24:21; 100:b). We see who was kind to Saint David: the one who was gentle and blameless. The Son of David, Christ our Savior, now speaks the same thing through the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers: only those who are gentle and upright, those who are not defiled, those who walk along the blameless path, cleave to Me, only them do I love, with them do I have friendly fellowship, with those who are not malicious, with those who are blameless. He says to them in the Gospel: “You are My friends” (John 15:14).
By being patient you will win, by not being angry you will tame
A person is not excited by anger and rage on his own unless someone angers him. He is prompted to this either by hypocritical friends, or by his obvious enemies, who insult and persecute him, who either offend him in word, condemn and discredit him, or insult him in deed. Because of this, anger and rage are naturally aroused in a person, and he in turn pays back with cruel words and vindictive deeds. They become beasts towards each other: the one who offends torments, as if with teeth, with evil words and deeds, and the one who takes revenge torments, repaying evil for evil and insult for insult. And the one who, with God’s help, can tame this beast - angry rage - both in himself and in his neighbor, is a good ascetic and a brave fighter.
To tame this fierce beast - natural rage and anger - you need great strength, great strength, which is contained not in Samson’s hair and not in armor and weapons, but in the most meek and gentle patience: by being patient, you will win, without being angry, you will tame.
Let's ask the wise Solomon, who would he call the strongest and strongest? He answers us that there is no one stronger and stronger than a meek and patient person: “He who is long-suffering is better than the brave, and he who controls himself is better than the conqueror of a city” (Prov. 16:32), that is, patience and taming anger are stronger than the courage of knights. Why is he who is long-suffering better and stronger than the mighty, and who subdues anger better than he who conquers cities? Because the patient tames the beast in himself and his neighbor, the extreme rage. First - in oneself, and then - in one's neighbor, for no one can tame an angry enemy until he tames himself. No one can destroy someone else’s angry passion until he himself eradicates it in his own heart, and no one overcomes anyone’s malice unless, first of all, he himself becomes gentle.
Taming someone else's rage is a matter of art, but taming one's own is a matter of a strong and strong soul
But the struggle and feat of taming one’s own beast, one’s own rage, is much more difficult than someone else’s. Taming someone else's rage is a matter of art, but taming one's own is a matter of a strong and strong soul. Someone else’s rage is aroused by chance, but your own is natural, natural, and in order to overcome something natural, you need incomparably greater strength than to defeat any enemy. Many defeated entire kingdoms, but could not defeat themselves. Alexander the Great is worthy of all ridicule, who, having conquered so many kingdoms, subjugating Asia and Africa, not only could not tame his own rage, but, being himself defeated by it, killed in anger his closest and closest friends: Philots, Clitus and Calisthenes. Because “the long-suffering is better than the brave, and the one who controls himself is better than the conqueror of the city,” because he, first of all, conquers the passion of anger in himself, and then tames the rage of his neighbor with his meekness.
“Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.”
Raptured in spirit to Heaven, Saint John the Theologian saw the throne of God and God sitting on it in ineffable Glory, holding in His right hand a book of unknown Divine mysteries, sealed with seven seals. “And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice: Who is worthy to open this book and to open its seals? And no one could, neither in heaven nor on earth.” And Saint John began to cry: “I,” he says, “wept a lot.” Why? Because “no one was found worthy to open and read this book, and even to look into it.” Then one of the elders sitting around the throne of God consoles the weeping John: “Do not cry; Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome, and is able to open this book and open its seven seals” (Rev. 5:2-5).
“...who is worthy to open this book and to open its seals?”
Having heard these words: “...behold, a lion,” let us turn our thoughts to Him and see what this lion is like? And so we see, together with Saint John, although not with such a quick and clear mental eye, that “in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders stood a Lamb as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into the whole earth. And he came and took the book from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. …Then the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb... and they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the book and to open the seals from it, for You were slain, and with Your Blood you have redeemed us to God” (Rev. 5:b-9) . Leaving aside the study of the book and the seals, we will speak only of the Lamb.
Isn’t it surprising that it was said: “...behold, a lion,” but we saw not a lion, but a Lamb; called a “lion”, but has the image of a lamb? And then: the image of a lamb, and the strength of a lion: “behold, the lion... has conquered.”
Let's think about this explanation of the power that patient meekness and gentleness have. The image of the Lamb is depicted with meekness, but has the strength of a lion. Who is worthy to receive the book of the mysteries of God with gifts and seals? Quiet Lamb. Who is worthy to be praised and worshiped by the Heavenly Powers? The Evil Lamb. Who is strong to defeat the terrible and fierce beasts coming from the sea, from the earth and from the abyss? Meek Lamb: “The Lamb will conquer.” Who rules over things below and above? Patient, the slain Lamb, for “He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings” (Rev. 17:14).
This Lamb, seen by the Theologian in the Apocalypse, is an image of meekness and at the same time the invincible power of the Lamb of God Himself, who takes away the sins of the world, Christ our Savior.
All these mentioned virtues: meekness, humility and gentleness, can be considered as one, for meekness walks with humility, as the Lord says: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). To whom will I look: to him who is humble and contrite in spirit” (Isa. 66:2). And kindness does not lag behind them and, as being friendly to them, finds grace with the Lord with them, approaching Him, as David said on behalf of the Lord Himself: “Let integrity and righteousness protect me” (Ps. 24:21). However, each of these virtues has a special interpretation of its strength.
Meekness means holding back anger, taming rage. A meek person is one who, being saddened by someone and having the opportunity to take revenge, does not take revenge, is not angry, and, when insulted, does not insult.
Humility is a sincere consciousness of one's insignificance, contempt for oneself. A humble person is one who, knowing his weakness, sinfulness and obscenity, does not exalt himself in his mind, considers himself lower than everyone else and, even though he has succeeded in some virtue, nevertheless, filled with the fear of God, calls himself an indecent slave.
Gentleness is either a clear conscience, innocent of any evil, or simplicity of heart, adorned with righteousness, or forbearance, non-retribution of evil for evil.
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov)
Meekness
The state of the soul in which anger, hatred, resentment and condemnation are eliminated from it is a new bliss, it is called meekness. Being earth, I am at the same time deprived of the possession of this earth: various passions steal it from me, especially the fierce anger that rapes and carries me away, I am deprived of all power over myself. Meekness gives me back this power.
What is meekness?
Meekness is humble devotion to God, united by faith, overshadowed by Divine grace. One of the fathers told us about a certain noble person from a senatorial family who went to worship holy places. Arriving in Caesarea, she chose to stay here and spend her life in solitude. “Give me a girl,” she began to ask the bishop, “so that she can raise me for monastic life and teach me the fear of God.” Having chosen one humble girl, the bishop assigned her to her. After a little time, he asked her: “Well, how is the girl assigned to you?” “She is of excellent behavior,” answered the noble woman, “but she is completely useless for my soul, because she invites me to act arbitrarily. She is very modest, and I need them to scold me and not allow me to fulfill my whims.” Then the bishop, choosing another, of a strong disposition, assigned her to her. She kept telling her: “Rich fool” or scolding her with other similar words. Soon the bishop asked again: “What is the girl like?” - “This one truly benefits my soul.” In this way she acquired great meekness.
Abba Sergius, abbot of the monastery of Abba Constantine, told us: “Once we were traveling with a holy elder. Having lost our way, we ended up in a sown field and trampled some seedlings. A farmer was working in the field at that time. Seeing us, he angrily showered us with abuse: “Are you monks? Do you have the fear of God? If you had the fear of God before your eyes, you would not do this.” “For God’s sake, don’t say anything!” - the holy elder quickly told us. Then, turning to the peasant, he answered: “That’s right, my child,” you said. If we had the fear of God, we would not do this.” But the peasant continued to scold angrily. “You speak the truth, child! - the old man answered again. - If we were true monks, we would not do this. But, for the sake of the Lord, forgive us that we have sinned against you.” Touched by these words, the peasant approached and threw himself at the feet of the old man. “I have sinned! - he exclaimed. - I'm sorry! And, for God's sake, take me with you." And indeed,” added Blessed Sergius, “he followed us and accepted the monastic rank.”
One of the elders, whom we also saw, named Ben, surpassed all people in his meekness. The brothers who were with him assured that neither an oath nor a lie ever left his lips and not a single person ever saw him in anger. He did not utter a single superfluous or idle word. His whole life passed in deep silence. He was of a quiet disposition, like the Angels in everything; in endless humility he considered himself a nonentity. Yielding to our earnest requests to teach us a word of edification, he told us a few words about meekness. One day, a hippopotamus devastated neighboring countries. The farmers asked the elder for help. Arriving in that area and seeing a huge beast, he turned to him with the words: “In the name of Jesus Christ, I forbid you to devastate this land!” The beast ran away, as if driven by an Angel, and never appeared there again. They told us that the old man drove away a crocodile in a similar way another time.
Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrus, said: “Having lived with the God-loving David for a whole week, we did not see any change in his face... but there was always the same modesty in his eyes. This already sufficiently proves the peace of his soul. But perhaps someone will think that we saw him like this when there was no reason for embarrassment. Therefore, I consider it necessary to tell what happened there with us.
The wondrous David sat with us, talking about wisdom and exploring the essence of the gospel life. While such a conversation was taking place between us, a certain Olympius, a Roman by birth, worthy of respect in his way of life, venerable in the rank of the priesthood and occupying second place in government, came to us and reproached the wondrous David, saying that his meekness was harmful to everyone, and calling him condescension is a general evil , and his sublime wisdom is not meekness, but madness. He, as if having an adamantine soul, accepted his words in such a way that he was not at all offended, although these words were caustic: he did not change his face and did not interrupt the ongoing conversation, but with a meek voice and words expressing the calmness of his soul, he sent that old man away, promising him to correct what he wants. “I,” said David, “as you see, talk with those who came to us, considering it my duty.” What other way can you better show the meekness of the soul? The one to whom the primacy was entrusted, having endured such insolence on the part of the one occupying the second place, moreover, in the presence of strangers hearing reproaches, did not suffer any embarrassment from anger ... "
Fatherland
They told about Abba John the Persian: when the villains came to him, he brought a laver and begged them for permission to wash their feet. The villains were ashamed, began to ask him for forgiveness and repent of their intentions.
Ancient Patericon
Robbers came to the monastery of one elder and told him: “We have come to take everything that is in your cell.” He said: “Whatever you want, children, take it.” So, they took everything they found in the cell and left. But they forgot the wallet that was hidden there. Taking it, the elder chased after them, shouting: “Children! take what you forgot.” Surprised by the patience of the elder, the robbers returned everything and repented, saying to each other: “This is a man of God.”
№39 (600) / October 13 '10
Patriarchy. Ru High Priest
In this topic:
High Priest
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill awarded awards to a number of bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church
Patriarchy. Ru High Priest
“The value of a person’s soul cannot be compared with anything”
Patriarchy.
Ru Word from the Primate of the Russian Church on the day of memory of St. Sergius of Radonezh
St. Sergius shows us an example of Christian life. Just as the sun is reflected in a drop of water, so it reflects what God calls a person to, the totality of all Christian values. It is no coincidence that on the eve of the memory of the saint, at Matins, we read the wonderful words of the Savior, which everyone knows well: Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:28-29). The Lord tells us in the first person - He says about Himself that He is meek and lowly in heart. Why do we read these words on the day dedicated to the memory of the saint? And because the monk in his life accomplished what the Savior spoke about, he, too, was meek and humble in heart.
How far this Christian ideal is from what the modern world calls for! For many modern people, meekness and lowliness of heart is not a virtue, it is a sign of weakness. To paraphrase the Apostle Paul, we can say: the words that a person realizes himself through meekness and humility of heart are for some madness, and for others superstition (see 1 Cor. 1:23). Why did such a polarization of Divine truth and human ideals occur? Yes, because by yielding to sin in small things, we ultimately yield to it in everything - we lose our lives, orienting it not on the values of the Divine Law, but on our own, human, values invented by us and promoted by us.
Meekness and lowliness of heart are not weakness. This is great power, this is man’s awareness that above him is God, Who Himself is meek and lowly in heart. This means living in accordance with God’s commandments, in harmony with God, means living as He calls. Meekness and humility are not a state of being downtrodden, depressed, or weak; this is a conscious stand before the Living God, great and strong, this is bowing your head, mind and heart before Him.
But there is also something very important for the entire human community in this Divine commandment to be meek and humble in heart. Meekness is also an awareness of the value of other people. A person who puts himself at the center of being cannot be meek, which means he does not accept other people, he considers them lower than himself, weaker than himself. But all the troubles that shake human society are based on this worldview. Meekness is the recognition that all people are children of God, that everyone has their own talent, their own beauty, their own spiritual world. A meek person does not trample his neighbor’s peace underfoot, but treats him with care, which means that people always gather around a meek person. When a meek person builds a family, he fills it with spiritual strength, love, and mutual respect. A meek, humble-hearted person sees the value of other people, and even when in power, he helps others to show their talents - not fearing competition, but putting himself in the hands of God and respecting the strength of another person.
Why did St. Sergius gather around him not only the monastic brethren of this monastery? Why did he gather all of Rus' around him? Yes, because people gather around the meek and lowly in heart. Next to them they feel calm and confident, they develop completely different feelings for each other and the great virtue of love for one’s neighbor sprouts.
No matter how they teach us otherwise, no matter how attractive they make the image of a pagan - proud, arrogant, self-loving, powerful, rich, capable of paving the way for himself by any means - let us resist temptations, keep the Divine ideal in our hearts, remembering the life and personality of the saint our venerable and God-bearing father Sergius. With this inner work we can stop the world from its terrible slide into living not according to the Law of God, but according to the law of the devil. The Church is called upon to unite people in the name of salvation through prayer, meekness, humility, love, the power of thought and the power of feeling. We believe that on the path of such salvation there will also be the earthly glory of our Fatherland, of all historical Rus', which, despite all trials, carefully preserves in the hearts of its people the ideal of holiness and spiritual beauty.
Through the prayers of our reverend and God-bearing father Sergius, may our Fatherland, historical Rus', the Russian Orthodox Church, our people, who have such a great intercessor in heaven as our reverend father Sergius, abbot of Radonezh, wonderworker, be preserved in peace and prosperity. Amen.
God bless you, my dears. Blessings to you, your loved ones, your relatives, your homes, your works. Raise your children and grandchildren in the Orthodox faith. Do not be shy and do not be afraid - we keep God’s Law in our hearts, which is above any human law and any human wisdom. God bless you.
