The path of humility and meekness

Gospel Reflection

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus

to put him to death.

When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.

Many people followed him, and he cured them all,

but he warned them not to make him known.

This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,

my beloved in whom I delight;

I shall place my Spirit upon him,

and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

He will not contend or cry out,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

A bruised reed he will not break,

a smoldering wick he will not quench,

until he brings justice to victory.

And in his name the Gentiles will hope.

Matthew 12:14-21

Today is Saturday of the fifteenth week of Ordinary time, and today we also remember the 16 martyrs of Compiegne, nuns and lay workers who would not denounce their faith and so they were brought to the guillotine one by one. But instead of turning their backs on their first love, the brides embraced death and they sang the Salve Regina until no one was left to sing the song to our mother. 

Two things, we are told of two things in today's readings: First, Jesus faced injustice with humility and meekness; and second that he is the hope of the Gentiles. 

The Gospel passage came after Jesus healed a man with a paralytic hand on a Sabbath and the Pharisees, who were the enemies of the Matthean church and so they always come out as the villain in the Gospel according to Matthew, were angry at this, more like, they were insulted and so they wanted to kill Jesus. 

Knowing the intention of the Pharisees, Jesus urged his followers to follow the path of humility and meekness, instead of facing the Pharisees head-on. 

What did Jesus do? When he heard that there were those who were plotting to kill him, he withdrew from the place. But withdrawal does not really mean that he would find peace, on the contrary, when they find him, they could still kill him, but if they do that, it will go back to the killers as the people might see his martyrdom as a heroic deed and they may just follow his footsteps, which is what the opposition fears. 

He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench until he brings justice to victory. 

This is from a prophesy of Isaiah. But really how can justice be achieved if we are not aggressive with the case? 

Well, as the great Tertullian wrote, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. And rightly so, today we remember the 16 martyrs of Compiegne, the community of discalced nuns led by Mother Teresa of St. Agustine. Why were they killed? Because they did not give in to the demands of the Revolutionary French Government, who asked them to denounce their vows, and essentially their faith. They did not make any noise, but they submitted themselves to the executioner. Their silence became a deafening crying call and now their "heroism" has inspired many people as their story is being repeated and reimagined into different artforms. 

Yes, justice can be had without making a noise. Take the EDSA Revolution, for example. An example of a peaceful revolution. No fanfare, no warfare, but just people (thousands at that) going out to the street to answer the call of protecting those who stand for truth. 

God does not want us to fight, because fighting is not the way of love. The way of love is sacrifice, when we are able to give our self for others, just like Jesus. 

Second, Jesus is the hope of all Gentiles. Yes, because before they thought that salvation is exclusive to God's people, the descendants of Abraham. But through Jesus, who showed that God's love extend to those who are not Jews. That is also what happened when the Jews left Egypt. It was not only Jews that they joined the exodus but there was also a "crowd of mixed ancestry". And this is what gives us hope. 

Salvation is not only for the chosen people, rather we are also a chosen people, and more than that, we are adopted sons and daughters of God, through Jesus Christ, as such we share in the inheritance of Christ, we become heirs of the Father. 

With these, we pray that as we continue on our journey to the heights of Carmel, we would learn to humble ourselves despite whatever persecution that we may be facing, and learn to trust in God that we are heirs of God, He is our Father, we have been saved, and the Father would only want us to experience kaginhawahan, the peace of Christ.

Photo: Dimitry Anikin/Unsplash.