Dec 14 Thu
We must put together “holy meekness" and “holy intransigence." Both are born out of love for God and souls.
Thus, we must be ready to yield in everything personal that does not threaten the truth.
And out of the very same love, we refuse to give way when our Lord's saving truth is mistreated. Both stem from the same love, and lead us to spread doctrine by our friendship and example.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who “gathers together” the sheep. Being God, he came down from heaven to be with us, to be with us (synkatabasis).
In the Gospel, Christ shows us a very clear example of how to treat others. He is our model. Our Lord's self-abasement knew no limits.
“His holy meekness led him to the most ignominious of deaths: he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a Cross. And he did so out of love for men, for men whom he calls his friends, even if they don't want to be such."
“I have called you friends, he says to his disciples who are going to leave him alone at the hour of trial. "Friend, why are you here?" he even says to Judas, who has come to betray him."
We must imitate his humility. “Humility leads us, as it were, by the hand to treat our neighbor in the best way possible, that is, being understanding towards everyone, living at peace with everyone, forgiving everyone; never creating divisions or barriers; and behaving - always! - as instruments that foster unity. Not in vain is there in the depths of man's being a strong longing for peace, for union with his fellow man, for a mutual respect for personal rights, so strong that it seeks to transform human relations into fraternity."
If Christ has loved us so much, we too must try to affirm “the truth serenely, positively, without polemics and without humiliating anyone. We should always leave the other person an honorable way out, so they can recognize without difficulty that they have been mistaken, or have lacked formation or information. At times the kindest charity is to let the other person be convinced that they have discovered a new truth on their own."
“You have to attract others, above all by the example of your upright life, by your humble yet bold affirmation of Christian life among your peers. Our manner should be ordinary, but consistent with our beliefs, making manifest our faith through deeds. With God's help, this will be the reason for our effectiveness."
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