Blessed are the Meek
By Michael Angelo Le Houx This well-known line from the Sermon on the Mount is becoming increasingly meaningful to me as my spiritual journey progresses. I am by no means an expert, but it seems logical to me that humility is the key to leading a spiritual life and thereby to fulfilling our potential.
Meekness is not a word often used in modern life, yet it contains profound meaning. Synonyms include quiet, gentle, submissive, deferential, unassuming, mild, unresisting, respectful, and humble. These characteristics are not commonly thought to constitute the ingredients for a successful life, yet they each imply the quality of humility.
There are many examples of people who have walked in humility and have inspired others to follow a path of peace and love. Such people, who bring about influence and positive change in the world whilst personally remaining understated, are often termed as being charismatic. The word charisma means “inspired”, which in turn means “with spirit”. Likewise, the Greek word entheos also means “inspired” and is the basis of our word enthusiasm. This link between charisma, enthusiasm and spirit is the reason why humility is so powerful.
My understanding of spirituality is simple, yet it helps me to make sense of the wisdom that is available from both ancient and modern teachings. There is, I believe, a spirit within each of us that arises from the Source and is the seat of love, joy and peace. At the same time there exists the ego-mind that is rooted in self-centred fear. The ego-mind often dominates and prevents the true light of spirit shining forth. Fear is the underlying cause of all negative characteristics, and our minds will justify or deny our thoughts and behaviours rather than accept the inherent flaws in our nature. The spiritual path is the journey from fear to love.
Humility arises not from being perfect but from accepting and learning from the mistakes that we make. The ego-mind can never lead us to happiness and peace, but our spiritual selves can and will. The challenge is to let go of the ego-mind in order to allow the spirit within to flow forth. This can be very difficult as we go about our daily lives because the world can often seem a fearful place despite our faith. This is why regular spiritual practice is so crucial to maintaining perspective. Prayer, mediation and service to others help to keep the ego-mind at bay and connect us to spirit.
It takes humility to accept the flawed ego-mind and surrender it to the spirit within. Often we try to take back control, only to experience pain and suffering as a result. If the cause of the pain is acknowledged and accepted then this leads us back to surrender, time and time again. In this respect, suffering can be seen as grace as we move closer to becoming our true spiritual selves.
It is only the meek that live the essential quality of humility. The humble person is neither beneath nor above anybody else. The humble person is immune to criticism but is equally unaffected by praise. People with humility appear courageous because they have let go of fear. The spiritual way is to go quietly and allow the glorious light of spirit to shine from within. The world will honour the modest and thwart the proud. This is the natural order of things, and this is why the meek are indeed blessed and will experience the true beauty of life. Michael Angelo Le Houx is author of the book Far More Than We Think – Making Sense of Spirituality. He also writes a weekly blog at www.farmorethanwethink.com.