Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves (Mt 11:29)
Abandon pride. Sound advice if ever I've heard it. The funny thing is that we don't do it. Sounds good, but not for me, me thinks. Ego talks us out of it: Are you crazy?! We've worked so hard to get this far! What will the neighbours think! And so forth and so on, ego leads us down the well trodden paths of kings, rulers and great men who have made the world a better place ... no? We have such a high standard of living in the West due to great individuals. Individuality is stressed, while conformity often is seen as a disease to be cured.
In who's reality do we choose to live? Which truth becomes our own Truth by which we make our choices and shape our lives? Total independence is an illusion: we need other people, just as they need us. Thus we all have yokes to bear: responsibilities, commitments, basic requirements. But through our free will, which yoke shall we take up and which life shall we live?
I came across an inspirational answer from 'Godzdogz', an internet-based project of the student-brothers of the English Dominican Province:
... in humility, we find peace and rest. In my experience most people intuitively grasp this point from their own experience. One of the things we notice when we reflect upon the stresses and anxieties of our life is that often, not always but often, the root cause of our distress is that we are trying to be something that we are not.
Humility, then, is the recognition and acceptance of the truth of who we are, and the recognition and acceptance of the truth of our relationship with God. The opposite of humility, Pride, must therefore be a rejection of this truth. Pride is fundamentally an attempt to live independently from God, an attempt to live by our own strength. Often Pride is driven by fear, a fear of taking a risk, a fear of becoming a disciple of Christ. (Godzdogz)
Oremus:
I pray for the strength of will to let go and trust in a meek and humble heart. I pray for those who live this way too, who demonstrate the worthiness of this way of life. I pray that all touch that still place in their hearts and minds, recognise it and never forget it, that it be a beacon in moments of darkness, doubt and fear. Amen.
Deo gratias.
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves (Mt 11:29)
Abandon pride. Sound advice if ever I've heard it. The funny thing is that we don't do it. Sounds good, but not for me, me thinks. Ego talks us out of it: Are you crazy?! We've worked so hard to get this far! What will the neighbours think! And so forth and so on, ego leads us down the well trodden paths of kings, rulers and great men who have made the world a better place ... no? We have such a high standard of living in the West due to great individuals. Individuality is stressed, while conformity often is seen as a disease to be cured.
In who's reality do we choose to live? Which truth becomes our own Truth by which we make our choices and shape our lives? Total independence is an illusion: we need other people, just as they need us. Thus we all have yokes to bear: responsibilities, commitments, basic requirements. But through our free will, which yoke shall we take up and which life shall we live?
I came across an inspirational answer from 'Godzdogz', an internet-based project of the student-brothers of the English Dominican Province:
... in humility, we find peace and rest. In my experience most people intuitively grasp this point from their own experience. One of the things we notice when we reflect upon the stresses and anxieties of our life is that often, not always but often, the root cause of our distress is that we are trying to be something that we are not.
Humility, then, is the recognition and acceptance of the truth of who we are, and the recognition and acceptance of the truth of our relationship with God. The opposite of humility, Pride, must therefore be a rejection of this truth. Pride is fundamentally an attempt to live independently from God, an attempt to live by our own strength. Often Pride is driven by fear, a fear of taking a risk, a fear of becoming a disciple of Christ. (Godzdogz)
Oremus:
I pray for the strength of will to let go and trust in a meek and humble heart. I pray for those who live this way too, who demonstrate the worthiness of this way of life. I pray that all touch that still place in their hearts and minds, recognise it and never forget it, that it be a beacon in moments of darkness, doubt and fear. Amen.
Deo gratias.
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