Day 10 of Advent, 12/13/23: I am Gentle and Humble (Mt 11:29)

How gentle am I? That is a very tough question for me to face and answer.

Matthew 11:29 is the only time Jesus describes himself, describes his own inner man, in the Bible. The Greek for "gentle" means meek and mild, but not in a weak way. It means "strength under control," like a wild stallion that has been tamed. The Greek for "lowly" means humble or low in status, like a servant. He is unselfish and thoughtful. Chuck Swindoll says, "We are never more like Christ than when we fit into His description of Himself: gentle and humble."

"Gentle" has always been a very troubling biblical word for me. "Let your gentleness be evident to all" (Phil 4:5) has challenged me often because of my reactionary, non-gentle, provocative, aggressive disposition and default, especially during times of conflict and disagreement. My lack of gentleness, which results from a lack of consideration for others, has led to many interpersonal conflicts with my family, the church and friends. It is painful to acknowledge, but my lack of gentleness and my lack of consideration of others has also led to my current predicament that will significantly affect the few remaining years of my life.

I cannot change myself. I pray to be yoked to Jesus. I know that God's love for me is to help me to learn and acquire the gentleness of Christ through what I am going through. Thank you, Lord, for your mercy and grace to me to help me to learn the gentleness of Christ.

Wednesday, December 13, 2023 Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr Matthew 11:28–30 Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus is not offering us one more philosophy of God. He is offering us the view from the inside of the Trinity. And that is why we should respond to his compelling invitation: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." What everyone wants is rest, but not in the sense of relaxation. Rest here means achievement of joy. The great illusion is that joy will come from filling up the ego with goods. But in fact, it will come from emptying out, from turning one's life over to the direction of God. We also find in today's Gospel those extraordinary words: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me." Jesus himself is bearing the yoke that he speaks of since he is yoked to the Father, doing only what he sees the Father doing. Jesus is, in his innermost nature, the one who listens and obeys. What he is saying, therefore, is to stand next to him, just as one ox stands next to the other as they pull together. Just as Jesus is yoked to the Father, so we should be yoked to him, obeying him as he obeys the Father.  .