Jesus is a poor itinerant preacher traveling among poor people “to preach in their towns.” He is in touch with nature for his teaching – “seeds” and “sheep,” “serpents and doves,” “reeds in the wind.” He learns his friend, John the Baptist, a poor settled preacher, also in touch with nature, has been put into prison by the rulers. Jesus poses to John’s followers, “what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.” Not John, not Jesus, nor their listeners live in grandeur. Rulers who do, inflict upon them their annoyance, worse, their abuse and violence. Jesus witnesses a healthy disposition with those rulers, “I am meek and humble of heart.”
Who are the meek and humble of heart today? Do we go out to find them? They can help us deal with the rulers of today. Like Jesus and John, we are surrounded by rulers speaking about politics, we hear dominating strategies and tactics, we watch their supportive members threaten dictatorship – and we are at least annoyed. We are surrounded by capitalists amassing financial gain, we hear abusive beliefs about securing themselves abundance over our poverty, we watch supporters threaten cruelties – and we are at least annoyed. We are surrounded by religious people speaking about a God who is angry with all the sinners, wiping them off the face of the earth with the next hurricane or flood or fire, we watch supporters threaten such violence too – and we are at least annoyed. How shall we be meek and humble of heart amidst all the domination, the swindling, the madness? The meek and humble of heart learn not to give their energy to being annoyed – annoyed at politicians for structuring a status system; annoyed at financiers for constructing a class system; annoyed at theologians for inventing a deity system. To be meek and humble of heart is to be “forbearing when tempted to be annoyed.” It is to be “gentle, mild.” We are the meek and humble of heart today when amidst the political machinations we are free of annoyance and people watch us live in communion. When amidst the financial schemes we are free of annoyance and people see our love. When amidst the theological sickness we are free of annoyance and people see our healing. For communion, love, and healing endure. They endure in our nature. They endure in all nature that surround us. We shall be the meek and humble of heart as we are in touch with the genuine grandeur of our human nature, of life’s nature. It is a grandeur that is refreshing and reminds us we too are refreshing.
“The world is charged with the grandeur of God… Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod. And for all this, nature is never spent; There lives the dearest freshness deep down.” (God’s Grandeur – Gerard Manly Hopkins)
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, we are the grandeur of God.
Question: When I find myself getting annoyed, what do I do to refresh my nature?
July 09, 2023 Gospel Matthew 11:25-30 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time