Men's Rosary

Pridefulness runs deep within the fiber of society. From this comes a false sense of strength and power. The political landscape of the country as well as the world leadership is rife with it. The only product of this inept use of this emotion, or more accurately vice; is anger and wrath; pain, suffering, and confusion. Knowing that pridefulness unbridled, is not really strength at all, we are left looking for where real strength is to be found.  We will find it in the opposing virtue of pride, which is humility and the opposing virtue to anger and wrath which is meekness.

There is virtuous pride which can be healthy, an earned sense of self-respect, dignity, and accomplishment, fostering confidence without arrogance.  This can lead us to Christ if we have gratitude for the gifts God has bestowed upon us and it does not center on self-sufficiency.  It is important to be humble, knowing that we are nothing left to our own design, and completely dependent upon God.  “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:10) With a healthy understanding of pride and humility we will be able to live a life of meekness. To the average ear, this word would scream weakness; but in truth, meekness is the ultimate in strength.  It is strength under control, restraining any power, rights, and anger, permitting us to act with humility and forbearance. If we are confident in our faith, in who we are in God’s eyes, it makes no difference what others think or say of us.  Arrogant pride and absence of meekness will find us engaging and fighting with others to preserve our self-proclaimed stature; that which we determine we are among men.  However, who we are among men is of no account, so our rebuttal and fight are for nothing. Who we are before God is all that matters and he is the judge of that. When I forget this and find myself in a situation where I fight because of sinful pride, afterward I reflect on Jesus before the High Priest (Matthew 26:57-68) and realized how miserably I just failed. He was looked down upon, and the leaders lorded their authority and position over him. If anyone had the right to fight for themselves it was him, but he understood what really mattered and did not validate their action by defending himself or debating. His meekness was a strength they could not withstand. This is how we are called to act in all areas of our life. “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12) Meekness will keep us centered in God just as Christ’s meekness kept him centered on the Father and his will.

Meekness, being true strength should not be confused with timidity which is shyness, fearfulness, and lack of self-confidence.  Timidity can cause us harm, especially timidity in Faith. It can make us fearful of the spiritual life, of evangelization. Timidity is more often the fear of judgement by the world rather than true humility and meekness. We were not created to be timid in our beliefs and love of God, “for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7) Self-control – meekness, which is strength under control.  To not be timid, but rather bold in our faith.  This challenges us to ponder magnanimity in our lives.   Magnanimity, greatness of soul, “by its very name denotes stretching forth of the soul to great things.” (St. Thomas Aquinas) We should want to do great things for the Lord.  We should be willing to stretch and serve as he calls us to serve. But again, in all humility, as God grants the gifts, acting in reverence and thanksgiving of all he enables us to do, being satisfied in what he determines.  If not, there is danger in attempting to do things above our abilities which leads to pride, restlessness, and single-mindedness. At this point magnanimity is not virtuous because humility and meekness are absent. 

May we put our carnal pride away and replace it with a virtuous pride, bringing us closer to God and to the Church and replacing the sinful anger with righteous anger.  May we live humbly, acknowledging our nothingness and serving those around us, seeing Christ in them, and serving he who gave all for us. May we boldly live our faith, sharing Christ with others and focus on the judgement of God and not the judgment of man. May we be strong through meekness, disregarding any attacks against us because of our faithfulness to God, but firmly resolved to defend the tenets of our Faith, and the teachings of Christ.  In living a righteous life may we dispel the wrath and suffering and live a life of quiet peace, trusting in what God promises.  “He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

“A meek person is someone who will never do one thing: he will never fight when his conceit is attacked, but only when a principle is at stake.”  (Venerable Fulton Sheen)