We hear the word “meek” in the Gospel. Jesus proclaims that the meek are Blessed.

Yet, what does this word “meek” mean?

Jesus announces that meekness is one of the great secrets of his heart: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart" (Mt 11:29).

The meek are not hapless and naïve persons who shrink from any risk or vulnerability. The prophet Joel proclaims that the meek man shall be a warrior (Jl. 4:10).

Rather, they have not only learned the ways of the world, but they also have seen too much of the world. They know the signs of deception, negativity, and falsity. At the same time, their way of thinking is gentle and childlike.

Meekness is a special and rare form of love. It is love that has been purified of anger.

Meekness is a steadfast, no-machismo strength. The meek have moved from complaints to accountability. They realize that the wisdom learned from daily life is more valuable than winning any lottery.

The meek rise early in the morning, realizing that an hour in the morning is worth two at night. They seek the lowest place, knowing they can find there the mystery of God.

The meek are not afraid of the ordinary. They do not cling to the familiar. They have watched as God has worked to transform their mistakes into wisdom.

Only the meek are truly at home in their own skin. They are at rest because they have nothing to prove. The natural credibility of the meek is a relief from the excuses and entitlements of the proud. They show wisdom, though not in a know-it-all, arrogant manner.

This is why the meek are easily missed. They do not compete in the rat race. For them, competition always remains recreation. Daily life is too important to value it only for advancement and gain. Incomplete skill or knowledge is not a threat to them, but a sign of their own dependence on love. They know the feeling, deep in their psyche, of gradually trusting their own once hidden strength.

They know that this strength belongs first to God.

If others do notice the meek, they are threatened by them because they do not want the same things these others chase after. Therefore, they cannot control the meek and must label them to be safe from them. But even here, the meek rest: others think about them more than they think about these others.

Blessed are the meek!

God bless,
Msgr. Bransfield
Pastor

Word gets around. Saint Matthew, in today’s Gospel, tell us: “When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together …” (Mt. 22:34)

Yes, word gets around. So does fear. The Pharisees are afraid. Jesus has silenced the Sadducees. And word gets around: Jesus has silenced the noise.

We fall in love with noise. We fall for noise not because we like it, but because noise is better than the alternative: quiet. Noise prevents things. Noise is fear’s highway.

Noise fends off the scariness of a silence that heals. In the type of silence that heals, pain and hurt can surface. This is why noise is so addicting. Noise numbs us from welcoming the old hurts so that they can be forgiven and healed. Reflective silence allows us to listen safely to and collect the hurts that have bruised us. From that recollection we can reformulate life’s hurts so that we can share them in a place of healing and connection.

Healing and connection are not sentiment or the ongoing presence of good feelings. Healing and connection are the living opposites of revenge. Healing goes deeper than the hurt that has been done and begins to connect within us all we thought was lost. Healing does not simply teach a lesson or take the higher road; it is a new beginning of goodness.

Healing, like silence, springs from deep inside the Christian. It flows from the stalwart depths of faith and hope that join us with Christ. In this way he creates a new beginning of goodness right where evil has attempted to do its worst.

Word gets around. Fear gets around. But healing and connection can surpass both. Especially when we follow close to Jesus.

God bless,

Msgr. Bransfield

Pastor

October is a time of deep currents. The colder air arrives. We use our fireplaces again. The leaves change and fall.

New inroads are all around us. New inroads to God, to moments with God, also emerge. Our recent 40 Hours still has much spiritual fruit to bear. We will sense this fruit emerging in small ways in which the Holy Spirit prompts our soul.

The Holy Spirit may prompt us to arrange our schedule to make time at the end of our lunch hour for prayer or to sit in a quiet church and close our eyes to think of Jesus and speak with Him in prayer.

The Holy Spirit may prompt us to pause at nighttime and kneel by the bedside to pray one of the mysteries of the Holy Rosary.

The Holy Spirit may prompt us to look up the Confession schedule and go to Confession for the first time in many years.

The Holy Spirit may prompt us to take the Miraculous Medal out of the dresser drawer and wear it as a reminder of God’s provident care.

The spiritual life is not just about us finding God. It is about Him finding us. He unseals a fountain of grace that heals us and strengthens our souls.

So often we forget the depths to which we are created. We rush through the day from one thing to another, without realizing the meaning available in this very moment.

As the Holy Spirit moves within us, a change takes place and an interior conversion emerges.

This autumn, let the Holy Spirit prompt you – and let Him open a new road that leads us into His deep currents.

God bless,
Msgr. Brian Bransfield
Pastor