The Strength to be Meek

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to pursue our efforts to make our environment more just and fair not through power and privilege but through the Beatitude promise that the “meek shall inherit the earth”.

Meek inherit the Earth

The Reading from the Prophet Micah presents an indictment of those who take land from the less powerful.

* [2:1–5] The cry “Ah” (hoy) begins a typical prophetic speech that is usually continued, as here (vv. 1–2), by a description of the addressees in terms of their unrighteous activities. This description is an indictment which gives the reasons for punishment announced to a particular group of people (vv. 3–5). The prophet spells out the crimes; the Lord announces the punishment, which corresponds to the crime: those who take the land of others will have their own land taken.

Those who plot iniquity and have the power to do it are wealthy landowners. The evil which they do consists in coveting the fields and houses of others and taking them.

* [2:2] To covet the “house” and other property of the neighbor was a violation of the Decalogue (Ex 20:17; 34:24; Dt 5:21).

The Lord, as owner of the earth, allotted the land by tribes and families to the people of Israel (Jos 13–19). Losing one’s inheritance diminished one’s place in the community and threatened the family’s economic viability and existence. According to Micah, those who used their power to expand their estates at the expense of weaker Israelites took more than land from them: they were tampering with the divine order.

* [2:4] Those who take land from the less powerful will in turn have their land taken away by invaders. (Micah, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 10 proclaims arrogant scoundrels pursue the poor.

a. [10:2] Is 32:7.

b. [10:3] Ps 36:2.

c. [10:4] Ps 14:1; Jb 22:13; Is 29:15; Jer 5:12; Zep 1:12.

d. [10:7] Is 32:7; Rom 3:14.

e. [10:8] Ps 11:2; Jb 24:14.

f. [10:9] Ps 17:12; Prv 1:11; Jer 5:26.

g. [10:11] Ps 44:25; 64:6; 73:11; 94:7; Ez 9:9.

h. [10:14] Ps 31:8; 56:9; 2 Kgs 20:5; Is 25:8; Rev 7:17.

i. [10:14] Ex 22:21–22. (Psalms, PSALM 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew is emphasizing the meekness of Jesus, The Chosen Servant.

* [12:15–21] Matthew follows Mk 3:7–12 but summarizes his source in two verses (Mt 12:15, 16) that pick up the withdrawal, the healings, and the command for silence. To this he adds a fulfillment citation from the first Servant Song (Is 42:1–4) that does not correspond exactly to either the Hebrew or the LXX of that passage. It is the longest Old Testament citation in this gospel, emphasizing the meekness of Jesus, the Servant of the Lord, and foretelling the extension of his mission to the Gentiles.

* [12:15] Jesus’ knowledge of the Pharisees’ plot and his healing all are peculiar to Matthew.

* [12:19] The servant’s not contending is seen as fulfilled in Jesus’ withdrawal from the disputes narrated in Mt 12:1–14.

* [12:21] Except for a minor detail, Matthew here follows the LXX, although the meaning of the Hebrew (“the coastlands will wait for his teaching”) is similar. (Matthew, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

Carol Zuegner comments that we too often decide the loudest voices are the ones we should listen to. There seems to be a shortage of compassion and empathy.

But in this loud and noisy world, I sometimes think that quietness will not prevail. Even now, writing this, I have to stop and take a deep breath. I remind myself there is good in the world, everywhere. You don’t even have to look very far to find it. We are so used to being bruised by the loudness and the response to be loud in return. Instead, let me look for goodness. Let me be the person who does good in the world in small ways and in big ways. 

In the Gospel, Jesus retreats, while still showing compassion to those who follow him. He cures people. He is there. 

 

Take a breath. There is good in the world. There is good in you and me. We have to remember to practice patience. To practice listening. To work on showing compassion even to ourselves when life becomes overwhelming. God is there. God is listening. 

 

My prayer today is that I remain steadfast with love and mercy. I pray for patience and empathy with those near and far from me. I pray with gratitude and one more deep breath. (Zuegher, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “The Savior's meekness,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"The prophet celebrated in advance both the Savior's meekness right alongside his unspeakable power. Thereby he opened to the Gentiles a great and effective door. Isaiah also foretold the ills that were to overtake the Jews. He foreknew the Son's oneness with the Father: 'Israel is my chosen, my soul has accepted him; I have put my Spirit upon him' (Isaiah 42:1). For it is not as an adversary that Christ transcends the law, as if he were an enemy of the Lawgiver, but as though he were of one mind with the Lawgiver and held to the very same purposes. Then, proclaiming the Lord's meekness, Isaiah said, 'He shall not cry nor lift up his voice' (Isaiah 42:20). For his desire indeed was to enable healing in their presence. But since they pushed him away, he did not contend any further against their opposition." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 40.2.1) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Micah was a small town boy who hated big city values and the officials in his town who did evil to covet and steal land. He prophesied they would lose boundaries in the Hebrew sense of justice, “as the sin so the punishment”. It is based on letting us have the consequences of what we get when we sin. The Pharisees fulfill the passage of Isaiah 42 in their persecution of Jesus as the suffering servant. Matthew quotes Isaiah to show Jesus fulfills the prophecy. Jesus uses the Suffering Servant passages from Isaiah and the Son of Man titles from Daniel 7 to identify with His mission. Friar Jude notes the mysterious meek figure in Isaiah's suffering servant is fulfilled in Jesus.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 12:14-21 comments that we tend to equate meekness with gentleness, but it’s much more than that. Meekness involves the choice to do what is right, even when fear tempts us to cowardice or anger tells us to fight fire with fire. It’s the godly strength to persist, grounded in the knowledge that God is with us.

Jesus knew his mission, and he was confident enough in God’s presence with him to carry it out on his own terms. That mission was to preach, to heal, and to proclaim freedom for the oppressed. And that’s exactly what he did until the time had come for him to actively engage his opponents. And when he did, he did it not by crushing them but by offering his life for their salvation and the salvation of the world. He could have summoned legions of angels to save him from death, but in meekness, he endured death at the hands of sinners—out of love for them.

Jesus has given you the Spirit to help you fulfill your mission with the same meekness that he showed. How might he want you to grow in this virtue today?

“Lord, give me the strength to be meek.” (Meditation on Matthew 12:14-21, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces peace activist and Orthodox Christian Jim Forest (1941–2022) who urges Christians to take seriously Jesus’s exhortation to stay close to those who suffer. He offers reflection questions about how we are practicing the Beatitudes.

In the Orthodox church, reflection on the beatitudes is often recommended as a way of preparing for confession and communion. Such reflection provides a framework for an examination of conscience about steps not yet taken in our effort to follow Christ:

• Do I embrace poverty of spirit—or flee from it at the speed of light?
• For whom have I been in mourning?
• How meek am I in my response to the gospels?
• In what ways am I hungry for righteousness?
• How merciful am I regarding those who in some way have done me harm?
• How pure is my heart and what keeps it so impure?
• In what ways am I trying to purify my heart?
• What are the divisions that intersect my life and in what ways am I responding to these divisions as a peacemaker?
• What enemies do I love? For which enemies am I praying?
• Whose threatened life am I trying to safeguard?
• Do I accept persecution as a blessing—or do I avoid anything that might get me into trouble? [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek Knowledge and Fortitude of the Spirit to live our relationships in practice of the blessing that comes from action to show the strength of meekness in our efforts to help people inherit a world of faith, hope, and love.

References

Matthew, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 18, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/12? 

Meditation on Matthew 12:14-21. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 18, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/18/1625292/ 

Micah, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 18, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/micah/2?1 

Psalms, PSALM 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings. Retrieved July 18, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/10?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Beatitudes: Week Two: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 18, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/beatitudes-week-two-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Until Jesus Brings Justice to Victory. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 18, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Zuegher, C. (2026, July 18). Daily Reflection July 18, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 18, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-18-2026 

Suffering Servant

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite our contemplation of our role in the time that seems to pass before societal evils are addressed by God.

Change in society

The reading from the Prophet Micah denounces social evils.

 * [2:1–5] The cry “Ah” (hoy) begins a typical prophetic speech that is usually continued, as here (vv. 1–2), by a description of the addressees in terms of their unrighteous activities. This description is an indictment which gives the reasons for punishment announced to a particular group of people (vv. 3–5). The prophet spells out the crimes; the Lord announces the punishment, which corresponds to the crime: those who take the land of others will have their own land taken.1

Psalm 10 is a prayer for deliverance from enemies.

 “But you do see;
you take note of misery and sorrow;
you take the matter in hand.
To you the helpless can entrust their cause;
you are the defender of orphans.”2

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is God’s chosen Suffering Servant.

 * [12:15–21] Matthew follows Mk 3:7–12 but summarizes his source in two verses (Mt 12:15, 16) that pick up the withdrawal, the healings, and the command for silence. To this he adds a fulfillment citation from the first Servant Song (Is 42:1–4) that does not correspond exactly to either the Hebrew or the LXX of that passage. It is the longest Old Testament citation in this gospel, emphasizing the meekness of Jesus, the Servant of the Lord, and foretelling the extension of his mission to the Gentiles.3

Vivian Amu notes we have all encountered people we would experience as wicked. They make our lives miserable and steal our peace of mind, even if it is just for a moment in time.

 God's silence concerning the escapades of the wicked is not about detachment. God's perceived absence is not indifference; it is an opening for reconciliation and redemption.  It is the space in time that God creates to prepare us for our victory. It is the space needed for the message of reconciliation to take root in our souls and birth compassion.  It is an opportunity for the wicked to correct their thoughts and ways.  Maybe they are presented in our lives as people lined up for healing.  Maybe their presence makes us more resilient or more flexible. Is it possible that these naughty children of God could transform and blossom just from their encounter with us, despite the apparent discomfort?  When we wear the cloak of Christ each day, and slip-on our shoes of peace, we have no reason to be afraid of the wicked ---- God is always merciful.4

Don Schwager quotes “The Savior's meekness,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

 "The prophet celebrated in advance both the Savior's meekness right alongside his unspeakable power. Thereby he opened to the Gentiles a great and effective door. Isaiah also foretold the ills that were to overtake the Jews. He foreknew the Son's oneness with the Father: 'Israel is my chosen, my soul has accepted him; I have put my Spirit upon him' (Isaiah 42:1). For it is not as an adversary that Christ transcends the law, as if he were an enemy of the Lawgiver, but as though he were of one mind with the Lawgiver and held to the very same purposes. Then, proclaiming the Lord's meekness, Isaiah said, 'He shall not cry nor lift up his voice' (Isaiah 42:20). For his desire indeed was to enable healing in their presence. But since they pushed him away, he did not contend any further against their opposition." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 40.2.1)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 12:14-21 comments that Jesus certainly doesn’t fight these Pharisees, but he doesn’t flee either. He chooses to avoid confrontation and press on to advance his mission. He continues preaching the good news to Jews and Gentiles alike—and “he cured them all” (Matthew 12:15). He shows patience rather than confronting his detractors, probably hoping they will come to believe in him. And so by withdrawing, he fulfills Isaiah’s words about the Servant of the Lord.

 Jesus could have corrected these Pharisees on the spot. He had all the authority and wisdom to win every argument—but he didn’t. He simply backed away. Jesus knew their hearts; he gave them time. Sometimes Jesus’ message causes us to struggle, as it did those Pharisees. But Jesus will give us space too. He doesn’t contend with us or heap condemning words on us. He is patient; he allows us time to learn his ways.6

Friar Jude Winkler compares the small town ethics of Micah and Amos to the evil practices of the city of Jerusalem. Jesus often quotes the Suffering Servant of Isaiah in the Gospel of Matthew. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus as Suffering Servant is meek, suffering, and willing to die.

StAnthonyCompanions · July 18, 2020

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, resonates with Walter Earl Fluker’s call to those of us in leadership roles in the church and other organizations to join these young people in their mission.

 Most importantly, the youth of this movement have placed their bodies on the line—they have put some flesh in the game; “This is flesh we’re talking about here. Flesh that needs to be loved.” Every church leader and scholar who is involved in the work of social and political transformation should follow the lead of these youth in being committed to placing his or her body on the line and putting some flesh in the game in new ways. In doing so, we will continue the legacies of those sainted martyrs whose broken bodies and dangerous memories rest just above our heads.7

God put “flesh in the game” through the incarnation of Christ; we, too, are called to incarnate love with our own bodies in solidarity with those marginalized by unjust systems. Father Richard concludes today that like Dorothy Day’s anti-Vietnam protests and Pedro Arrupe’s decision to allow his Jesuits to remain in El Salvador, our contemplation may very well lead us to action with unpopular and painful consequences. And yet, this too seems to be where the living flow of the Holy Spirit invites many of us.

References

1	(n.d.). Micah, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 18, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/micah/2
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved July 18, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/10
3	(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 12. Retrieved July 18, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/12
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved July 18, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture .... Retrieved July 18, 2020, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
6	(2020, July 18). Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/2020/07/18/174243/
7	(n.d.). Contemplative Activists: Weekly Summary — Center for Action .... Retrieved July 18, 2020, from https://cac.org/contemplative-activists-weekly-summary-2020-07-18/

Freedom for excellent and meek witness to Glory

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Feast that concludes the Christmas liturgical season, The Baptism of the Lord, offer us contemplation on the combination of glory and humility that participate in Life shaped by our Tradition.

#EuAre2018 CONGRATS to the selected Paper - “Religion in a free society (The Glory of God is man being fully alive -St. Irenaeus of Lyons)".

Bernhard Dolna, https://t.co/WXAGXZtJHp

Bologna, Italy, 5– 8 March, 2018

Read more here:https://t.co/o6UiyjpxZZ pic.twitter.com/ykkOCQeJE1

— EuARe - European Academy of Religion (@eu_are) January 7, 2018

 Throughout Christian tradition, the Suffering Servant poems of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah have been applied to Christ.

* [42:1–4] Servant: three other passages have been popularly called “servant of the Lord” poems: 49:1–7; 50:4–11; 52:13–53:12. Whether the servant is an individual or a collectivity is not clear (e.g., contrast 49:3 with 49:5). More important is the description of the mission of the servant. In the early Church and throughout Christian tradition, these poems have been applied to Christ; cf. Mt 12:18–21.

 The Gospel of Mark declares the role of Jesus to create a new people of God.

* [1:8–9] Through the life-giving baptism with the holy Spirit (Mk 1:8), Jesus will create a new people of God. But first he identifies himself with the people of Israel in submitting to John’s baptism of repentance and in bearing on their behalf the burden of God’s decisive judgment (Mk 1:9; cf. Mk 1:4). As in the desert of Sinai, so here in the wilderness of Judea, Israel’s sonship with God is to be renewed.

Peter Edmonds SJ traces the path through Mark’s Gospel that we will follow over the coming year and asks what will we hear when we listen attentively to the voice of Saint Mark?

We will not hear Mark again until the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus after Christmas. Then we listen to the voice of God, the principal though unseen actor in the Gospel of Mark, telling Jesus that he is his ‘Son, the Beloved’, a further scriptural quotation which echoes Isaiah’s words about the servant of the Lord (Isaiah 42:1) and words of Genesis about Isaac, the son of Abraham (Genesis 22:2). If we want to celebrate Christmas with the mind of Mark, then we make our own the message of these first eleven verses of his gospel. They are the foundation on which the rest of Mark’s Gospel is built.

Maureen McCann Waldron reflects on the glorious proclamation of Jesus as Son of God and suggests that we need to hear what else God is saying in the Gospel.

Sometimes God’s voice is thundering and loud as if to grab our attention.  We, like John the Baptist, often feel unworthy.  How can I be sent by God when I am so unworthy, so flawed and imperfect?  That’s when God thunders to us to hear what else he is saying: We are beloved!  We can’t hear it when our heads are under the water, focused on ourselves and our own sin.  It is only when we come to the surface and listen that we hear the loving voice of God, thundering deep until it reverberates in our hearts.  You are my beloved!  In you, I am well pleased.Despite our lifelong struggle, or because of it, we are beloved by God in a way that has no human logic. We are held close, cherished and beloved by this God who blesses and sends us out into the world.

Friar Jude Winkler surveys the content of the alternate texts for today and notes that one of the songs of the suffering servant expresses the willingness to die to expiate for sins and conquer by meekness. 

Michael of Chasing the Wind discusses God’s amazing wisdom on expiation that leads to glorification of God.

God’s amazing wisdom provides a method of redemption for all eternity. While the blood of one innocent creature can pay for the sins of one guilty person, who can wash away the sins of the entire world? A mere man cannot provide such redemption. The sacrifice must be omnipotent; only God is omnipotent. The sacrifice must be God.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that the Western church has largely lost its foundational belief in divinization, and in the practical order have even denied its possibility. Instead, we were just “sinners in the hands of an angry God” and even “totally depraved.” He notes that it is no wonder humans suffer from such lack of self-esteem today. We haven’t told them the central and foundational Good News! He believes this is the source of a lot of the anger and disillusionment with Christianity today.

Spirituality is primarily about human transformation in this life, not just salvation in a future realm. While Western Christianity lost much of this emphasis, and became rather practical and often superficial, the Eastern church taught theosis or divinization as the very real process of growing in union and likeness with God in this world. [1] This is one of the many losses Christianity experienced in the Great Schism of 1054, when the popes of East and West mutually excommunicated one another. The later Protestant Reformation, while needed, did not reclaim this wisdom and further split the church, each side losing something of value.

  Bishop Robert Barron explores the nature of being fully alive by comparing the freedom of indifference that permeates our culture with the freedom of excellence that brings fulfillment. 

For the freedom of indifference, objective rules, orders, and disciplines are problematic, for they are felt, necessarily, as limitations. But for the second type of freedom, such laws are liberating, for they make the achievement of some great good possible.

Spirituality is primarily about human transformation in this life, not just salvation in a future realm. The meekness of the Suffering Servant is a model for transformation through which the Glory of God is seen as humanity fully alive. 

References

(n.d.). CHAPTER 42 The Servant of the Lord 1 Here is my servant whom I .... Retrieved January 8, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/isaiah42.htm

(n.d.). Mark, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 8, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/1

(2009, April 5). The Suffering Servant – Chasing the Wind. Retrieved January 8, 2018, from https://chasingthewind.net/2009/04/05/the-suffering-servant/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 8, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

(n.d.). The Glory of God is a Human Being 'Fully Alive' | Word On Fire. Retrieved January 8, 2018, from https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/article/the-glory-of-god-is-a-human-being-fully-alive/320/