Gentleness and humility are not very popular attributes to have in our modern society. In fact, they are rarely encouraged. Instead, self-promotion and even aggression are the theme of the day.
If you want something, make your voice heard, or you will be lost in the crowd. Your success depends on a strong self-confident pride in yourself. You are the most important person in your world, so focus on what is best for you. Pride and self-confidence, and a little boldness are clearly important for all healthy human beings, but they must be tempered with gentleness and humility, if we want to find true happiness and true peace in life as Christ suggests. ‘A king shall come to us, a just Savior who is meek, and riding on a donkey. He will banish the chariots and arrows of war, and bring peace to the nations.’ No aggression here; nothing but gentleness and humility, … but also strength! Think of the gentle hands of a surgeon or the gentle voice of a parent to their child. Gentleness is a strength which supports others by creating a welcoming space for them to step forward and express themselves without fear of force or criticism. Humility is not weakness. It is the uncomplicated foundation stone on which we build truly confident spiritual lives. Too much self-promotion can cloud our vision. Dostoyevsky said, “Love humility! It is a powerful force!” Humility heals others. At this challenging time when tempers can flare and fear can drive us to undermine ourselves: stop, breathe for a moment, and feel the inner peace. St Seraphim said, “Acquire inner peace, and people will find salvation near you.” Life is actually a light burden we too often complicate ourselves. Instead, walk gently and humbly in a peace Christ told us we can create for ourselves, where he will give us rest. Rev Fr Christopher Tracey, Pastor Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Parish Saugeen Shores, Ontario
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Father's Blog
Rev. Fr. Christopher Tracey
|