Meek meaning of the word. Blessed are the meek

The third beatitude sounds like this: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). Who are the meek and what is meekness?

Silence and patience?

If we turn to the Greek text of the Gospel, we can see that the Greek word "praos" is translated by the word meek. In addition to the meaning "meek", this word is also translated as quiet, affectionate, calm, restrained, tame, tamed. All these meanings can be conveyed in one word - good-natured. The great teacher of monastic life, St. Ephraim the Syrian (306-373) wrote about the meek in this way: “The meek one, even if he is offended, rejoices; if offended - thanks; angry - tames love; taking blows - does not rush; when they quarrel with him - calm; when (he) is subdued, he has fun ..., rejoices in humiliation, does not boast of merits, is peaceful with everyone ..., alien to slyness, does not know envy.

The well-known spiritual writer of the 20th century, St. Nicholas of Serbia (1881-1956), has a wonderful statement: “Meekness is the daughter of weeping and the granddaughter of humility.” It turns out that the meek is the one who silently endures all life's troubles and humiliations, and in addition to everything else, is ready to meekly obey. If the previous commandments about spiritual poverty and spiritual weeping can still be somehow understood and accepted by a modern person - yes, you need to rely on God in everything and it would be good to mourn your sins - but how to be meek? What is good and useful in constant patience, up to "joy in humiliation"? The world dictates completely different conditions, because, as you know, "the strongest survive." In order to win here and now, boldness is more in demand - a quality opposite to meekness. Why should I endure, obey, forgive, love? Let me be tolerated, obeyed, forgive and loved. And I will only consume. And oddly enough, it is these people who prosper, getting everything from life.

It is even more interesting that this contradiction was not noticed today or even yesterday. The commandment of the blessedness of the meek is a direct quote from the Psalter: The meek shall inherit the earth and enjoy plenty of peace(Ps. 36:11). Psalm 36 is a discussion about the righteous and the wicked. The psalmist sees that the wicked - prosper in their way, in their hands - swords and bows, they possess many riches, they are like a strong, rooted, many-branched tree (see Ps. 36, 7, 14, 16, 35). What is left for the righteous? Trust in the Lord and do good; live on earth and keep the truth(Ps. 36:3). Because only goodness, faith, hope and love are real life, real existence. The success of the wicked is an illusion, a deceit. All this is only here and now. The wicked do not and cannot have a future: Do not be jealous of evildoers, do not envy those who do iniquity, for they, like grass, will soon be cut down and, like green grass, wither(Ps. 36:1-2) and Turn away from evil, and do good, and you will live forever: for the Lord loves righteousness and does not forsake His saints; they will remain forever; and the offspring of the wicked will be destroyed. The righteous will inherit the earth and live on it forever(Ps. 36:27-29).

The Lord did not accidentally take the words from this psalm. Roman-occupied Judea saw what was said in the quotations just given. The wicked pagans, established in their title of rulers of the world, oppressing the poor and trampling on the holy things, subdued the chosen people of God. And already the very hope for the Savior promised by God turned into the expectation of a leader who would lead the army to the war of liberation and conquer and destroy the enemies. But the Savior who came meekly reminds us that it is meekness and patience that will make believers heirs of the promises of God. In these words - a call to rethink the whole order familiar to us. And not just to rethink, but to change it, starting first of all with ourselves. Be meek, loving, patient, not arrogant, proud, hateful and vengeful. Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you.(Matthew 5:44).

Be like Christ

The Lord Jesus Christ spoke of Himself: I am meek and lowly in heart(Matthew 11:29). The meek are likened to Christ. But Christ promised the meek that they would inherit the earth. What land and where? And did He Himself inherit, being meek? Of course, to see in the words of Christ the promise of a well-maintained plot of land would be a mistake. After all, the Promised Himself did not own anything in earthly life - he did not even have a place where He could bow your head(Matthew 8:20). And again we have a paradox - Christ, like God - the Lord of the world, but at the same time - he is the poorest of all - foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests(Matt. 8:20), but He is nothing. Nothing of earthly blessings, nothing of what sometimes turns into an idol, to which everything is sacrificed. The Lord promises the meek a land where they live and do not die - land of the living(Ps. 26:13), eternal life with God, the life that Christ Himself lives. And only those who were meek, who were patient and gentle, who were ready to open their love to others, can accept this gift. Only the sincere and selfless can truly possess. God loves a person not because He wants to receive something in return for this love (and does God need something in our sense?), but because He Himself is Love. Therefore, the signs of meekness can be called sincerity and disinterestedness - the desire to give oneself without expecting a reward. Because the reward from God is beyond any expectations. This idea was best expressed by the apostle Paul when he wrote to the Christian community of the city of Philippi that Christ made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man; He humbled Himself, being obedient even unto death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth, and in the underworld.(Phil. 2, 7-10).

In the well-known book by Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) "The Letters of Balamut", where the old experienced demon - Balamut - gives advice to his young nephew - the tempting demon Gnusik, a simple and very deep idea is expressed that when a person sincerely and disinterestedly enjoys anything, he thereby protects himself from the most subtle demonic temptations. Because meekness, united with sincerity and selflessness, opens the way for God in the heart of man.

This is the answer to the question posed at the beginning of our discussion - how can one be meek in this world? Genuine meekness, meekness in all its fullness was revealed by Jesus Christ. And this means that in order to be meek, one must be like Christ. Is it possible for a human? Man cannot become Christ in the literal sense, because Christ is the eternal God. But each of us - and all of us together in the Church, the Body of Christ - can become god-like, that is, like Christ. The power of Christ appeared precisely in the seeming defeat - rejection by the people, crucifixion and death. Crucifixion and death did not become an inglorious end, but an eternal victory over sin. The victory came from where it would be most difficult to expect it. Therefore, our victory is connected with those virtues that are least valued in this world. Probably, this can be called one of the properties of God - to reveal Himself through what no one expects. And one of the most striking manifestations of the power of God is the appearance of the prophet Elijah: And he said (the Lord to Elijah): go out and stand on the mountain before the face of the Lord, and, behold, the Lord will pass, and a great and strong wind, tearing apart the mountains and crushing the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord is not in the wind; after the wind there is an earthquake, but the Lord is not in the earthquake; after the earthquake there is fire, but the Lord is not in the fire; after the fire, the breath of a quiet wind ...(1 Kings 19:11-12). We do not see God in the destructive and uncontrollable elements, but in the refreshing and gentle touch of a quiet wind, barely audible rustling the leaves. Quiet and meek is the touch of God...

To be continued

Newspaper "Saratov panorama" No. 40 (968)

Irresponsibility, resignation, good nature, peacefulness, gentleness, humility, modesty, humility, patience, compliance, spinelessness. Pigeon meekness... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and expressions similar in meaning. under. ed. N. Abramova, M ... Synonym dictionary

MEEKNESS, meekness, pl. no, female distraction noun to meek; humility, humility, humility. Meekness of temper. Say something with gentleness in your voice. Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

MEEK, oh, oh; current, current, current. Gentle, humble, meek. K. character. A meek soul. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

meekness- pigeon (Block); radiant (Corinthian); heavenly (Kozlov) Epithets of literary Russian speech. M: The supplier of the court of His Majesty, the partnership of the printing press A. A. Levenson. A. L. Zelenetsky. 1913 ... Dictionary of epithets

meekness- MEEKNESS1, irresponsibility, resignation, humility Dictionary-thesaurus of synonyms of Russian speech

A quality highly valued in Holy Russia. According to the definition of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, meekness is humble devotion to God, united with faith and overshadowed by Divine grace, submissiveness of the heart to the mind. St. Cyril of Turov uttered the words that became ... ... Russian history

meekness- mildness of spirit, gentleness A. Human modesty 1. Meekness is required of us as a Christian quality: Col. 3:12; 1 Tim 6:11 one of the fruits of the Spirit: Gal 5:22,23 benevolence: Eph 4:2; Phil 4:5; 1 Pet 3:15 2. Gentleness great strength mild… … Bible: Topical Dictionary

Meekness- - gentleness, humility, humility, condescension. Possible manifestations are a calm tone, a quiet voice, a modest posture. Do not seek wisdom, seek meekness (proverb). Meekness is most often assessed as timidity, fear, spiritual weakness, ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy

Columbine simplicity. Book. About a meek, quiet, patient person. BMS 1998, 318 ... Big dictionary of Russian sayings

Meekness- (other Russian - tamed) - the moral ethical quality of a person, expressed as modesty, benevolence, tolerance and patience, indulgence, humility, gentleness - all this coexisting in a person. A meek person... Fundamentals of spiritual culture (encyclopedic dictionary of a teacher)

J. distraction. noun according to adj. meek Explanatory Dictionary of Ephraim. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language Efremova

Books

How to educate your soul. Humility and meekness in our daily life, . This book is dedicated to the two greatest Christian virtues - humility and meekness, and consists of selected sayings of the great elders, who in their own words, as it were, answer our questions about ...
How to acquire meekness of the soul? Holy Fathers on Meekness, Mikhail Davidovich Molotnikov. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5) - such is the third Gospel beatitude. What is meekness in the Orthodox sense, what kind of "land" will the meek inherit, and why do they...

A workshop in Poltava began to sew "pastoral shirts"

The workshop "Dior di Eva" in the Ukrainian city of Poltava at the church "Great Commission" started sewing shirts with coloring, reports the Christian Megaportal invictory.org.

“We saw the need for pastors to emphasize their spiritual dignity during various secular events - round tables, press conferences, media interviews, during public speeches, wedding ceremonies and even funerals,” the workshop says.

“In modern society, it is customary to meet by clothes. According to her, we recognize a doctor, a policeman, a fireman. So the priest must be recognizable. A pastor's shirt with a collar is a symbol of belonging to the clergy, as well as an opportunity for a priest, dressed in ordinary everyday clothes, to position himself as such, the workshop explains. - Unfortunately, the "uniform" of the priest is rejected in favor of the usual strict suits, which have always been an integral attribute of businessmen or officials. Why does a person who serves God and people in our time choose to look like an ordinary manager, entrepreneur or civil servant? After all, no one has canceled the rule “meet by clothes”.

Today the workshop offers individual tailoring of such shirts in any size. “The choice of color is not limited to black only and we are able to deliver the order to any point of the CIS countries in a short time,” Dior di Eva notes.

Koloratka in the form in which we are accustomed to seeing it today was not always like this. Initially, it was a white collar around the neck and looked like a collar. The color of the clothes was black. Thus, the white collar and black color of clothing became a symbol of obedience to God and dedication of one's life to serving Him. There is also a statement that the color collar symbolizes the holiness and purity of the clergyman and that a person with such a collar is a servant of God.

Dior di Eva services have already been used by pastors from Russia and Ukraine. You can get acquainted with color samples, order conditions on the workshop website.

Pope Francis' books published in Spain

In Spain, the first book of Pope Francis was published under the title "Real Power is Service" ("El verdadero poder es el Servicio"). The book was first published in 2007 when the Pope was Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Its purpose is to demonstrate the fundamental principles of the idea of Christian service to people.

Following the example of Jesus Christ, Who came to serve people and gave His Life for people, the author describes service as one of the most important life principles. Priestly service as a kind of service to people is an important evidence of faith. A priest should be an example of Christian upbringing, because, in addition to the performer of the Church Sacraments, he is also a missionary. Written by Week.

Part of the book is devoted to reflections on the Virgin Mary, sermons of Holy Week and Easter, as well as themes of the dialogue of cultures.

Shortly after the publication of the first papal book, Publicaciones Claretianas announced the publication in mid-April of the next work of Pope Francis, entitled "Open mind, believing heart" ("Mente abierta, corazn creyente"). The book consists of 4 parts. The first represents an encounter with Christ through dialogues from the Gospel. The second is devoted to the contemporary life of the Catholic Church and the theme of the new evangelization. The third tells about the modern Church - its strengths and weaknesses. The last, fourth, part is devoted to prayer with t. sp. specific challenges and needs of modern life.

Both books contain an analysis of the pastoral ministry and present the life of a Christian as a reality aimed at improving a person's relationship with God, the world and man.

The books are translated into English, German, French, Croatian, Catalan and Chinese.

Christian doctor's book becomes a bestseller

Christian doctor Ben Carson's book, America the Beautiful: Revisiting What Made This Nation Great, has topped three categories on the New York Times bestseller list.

Released in January 2012, the book was #1 in the non-fiction paperback category and #3 in the non-fiction hardcover category. Since its release, the book has appeared 23 times on the New York Times bestseller list.

In America the Beautiful, Carson, a highly trained neurosurgeon, reflects on how the US has changed the world and how the country has used its position as a free and prosperous nation.

"What an honor to know that the book has received the attention of such a large number of readers," said Carson.

“It tells me that the state of our country does not go unnoticed, and citizens want our political leaders to truly lean on God's Word and not on themselves. I truly believe America's best days are yet to come and we must use our God-given talents to improve our lives, society and the world."

Zondervan Vice President Tracey Danz also said, “We are delighted with the success of this book. Ben's desire to live the life God calls him to is inspiring to me and I truly believe this book can be life changing."

Carson garnered acclaim at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington last month when he criticized Obama for tax policy and health care reform at his presidential review. Carson was also the main speaker at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference, held March 14-16 in Oxon Hill, where he hinted at political aspirations that could even land him in the next presidential election.

A film about a boy who went to heaven will be made in the USA

Actor Greg Kinnear may play in the film based on the book of the pastor of the church in the US state of Nebraska.

Heaven Is for Real was written in 2010. It is based on real events - the story of a four-year-old boy who experienced clinical death during an operation, went to heaven and returned back. Kinnear will play the role of the boy's father, Pastor Todd Bruno from a small town in Nebraska.

Greg Kinnear was nominated for the 1998 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for As Good As It Gets. He is also known for his participation in the films "Matador", "Little Miss Sunshine" and the mini-series "The Kennedy Clan".

Heaven Really Exists will be directed by Randall Wallace, who wrote the screenplay for Braveheart. The film will be produced by Joe Roth (Oz the Great and Powerful) and pastor T. D. Jakes of the Potter's House Church in Dallas.

In Kyiv, they told how to combine faith and a public profession

On Monday, March 18, 2013, the Novomedia professional club was visited by journalist Alexander Ivanitsky (1 + 1 TV channel, Groshi program. He is also the editor of the Direct Speech Christian newspaper), reports the Christian Megaportal invictory.org with reference to press center of Novomedia Association.

The conversation took place in a question-and-answer format. For more than an hour, Alexander talked about his path to television, the creation of the Groshi (Money) project, the criteria for success on TV; his Christian newspaper, and faith in the journalistic profession.

The 1 + 1 journalist said that he does not watch TV, but watches the Groshi program on the Internet.

In his opinion, there is a creative limitation (censorship) on the regional TV (Alexander started with the Akcent TV channel in Lysychansk), so everyone goes to the capital: “It is easier to realize oneself in Kyiv, but competition in big cities is much higher than at the regional level ", - he noted.

The guest also shared the features of creating stories for the program "Money". He said that the plot should be disclosure, investigation of some problem, for example - abuse of office and so on.

According to him, the Ukrainian press is strong: when a violator of the law realizes that he is "in the light", either conscience or fear wakes up in him. Alexander also sees his main task on TV to do something useful and fundamentally does not take materials that contradict his personal faith.

At the same time, the guest of the pro club repeatedly had to act in different roles to prepare the plots. So, during Euro 2012, Alexander worked as a cleaner in the fan zone for two days.

The journalist combines his work on TV with editorial work in the newspaper "Direct speech". Often Alexander himself writes articles and interviews interesting people in his opinion. As a rule, these are courageous or merciful people. “The main task of our newspaper is that everyone, having read something in it, could be inspired to a good deed,” the speaker said.

“In life, you need to behave in such a way that you are asked: who are you, what is the secret of your happiness? This is a good start for a conversation with a person about God,” Alexander Ivanitsky summed up the meeting.

Recall that the meetings of the pro-club are held every third Monday of the month.

That's all. See you soon!
May God richly bless you as you seek to know Him!

Each person has his own unique character warehouse, this is what makes us so different and interesting in our own way. There are people who are sociable, persistent and self-confident - these are the expressed qualities of extroverts. There are calm, meek and obsessed with their inner world - this is typical of introverts.

We will consider in detail the qualities of the second type of people - introverts. They are distinguished by meekness, love of knowledge and balanced actions.

How to determine your type of temperament?

The easiest way is to analyze your character. Here are some questions to help you:

Can you be alone for a long time and remain happy?
Are you afraid to take risks?
Are you empathetic (meaning the ability to empathize with another person on a mental level)?
Do you prefer not to conflict, but to find a compromise?
Can you listen carefully to your opponent?
Do you have several close people, but you don’t need more?

The more positive answers you get, the higher your degree of introversion. The less you are, the more you are an extrovert. If the positive and negative answers are equally divided, you are an ambivert - a unique personality that combines the features of both types.

The Eysenck temperament type test is a great way to analyze your character. Consists of 57 questions that should be answered quickly, that is, the first thing that came to mind.

Distinctive traits of an introvert

We list the main ones:

Of course, this is not all the features of an introvert. But if you find the listed properties in a person, he is most likely an introvert.

In general, there are fewer people who can be in harmony with themselves for a long time than those who need communication. That is why the calm behavior of introverts is so often incomprehensible to active extroverts.

However, this is not an obstacle to friendship and communication. There are people with similar interests in both camps. A smart extrovert understands when to leave his quiet friend alone to “recharge” with internal energy. And an introvert perfectly feels when it is better to remain silent and show his meekness and calmness inherent in him.

By the way, about meekness. This is a wonderful quality of character that correlates with calmness and a person.

Meekness: the meaning of the word

As mentioned earlier, meekness is more characteristic of modest introverts. But smart extroverts are not deprived of it either.

Meekness is the quality of a strong person who does not get upset, does not get angry over trifles, is not prone to resentment and revenge. He succeeds due to his kind and outgoing nature.

This is not a sign of weakness, as some people think. Well, what's the point of flashing a bright flame for any reason? A meek person understands this and treats many things with condescension and humor. Harmony reigns in the soul of such a person; he is not in danger of becoming a short-tempered neurotic.

Meekness helps a person to accept the world as it is. And also not to be offended by the cruelty and bad deeds of other people. After all, there are many things in the world that do not depend on a particular person. The ability to accept lightens the soul and does not fill the head with what cannot be changed.

Meekness: antonym

Pride is the opposite of meekness; exaggeration of their capabilities and merits many times over. A person subject to this vice considers himself superior to other people.

Pride is bad because it hinders the development of a person as a person. Such an individual remains at his stage of development; further growth and self-improvement are not available to him.

Also, an overly proud person has an overly high opinion of himself, and this is reflected in his attitude towards other people. He thinks only of himself, does not care about anyone and is not interested in others. The other person is very good at feeling disregard for himself and over time breaks the connection with the proud.

As a result, it turns out that from this quality there are only disappointments and problems. Therefore, a smart person, noticing the rudiments of pride in himself, gets rid of them in the fastest way.

The difference between dignity and pride

But dignity is inherent in a harmonious person. It has nothing to do with pride.

Dignity is oneself. Self-respect consists of self-esteem, which does not depend on the opinions of others and changing circumstances.

A person with self-respect:

respects both himself and other people;
does not lose courage in any, even the most critical situations;
does not depend on the opinions of other people;
is not afraid to apply his own in various fields.

Humility is a great human strength

When we talk about humility, for many, the fantasy draws the image of a person who agrees with fate, humiliated, going with the flow. Actually it is not.

Humility is the ability for conscious patience, a deep understanding of life by a person. It can be interpreted in two ways:

Like being humble towards yourself. This implies a more or less objective assessment of oneself, without exaggeration and belittling one's own merits.
As humility towards others. Equal attitude towards other people, acceptance of their point of view.

It seems to be quite easy to become a humble person. Actually it is very difficult. Because it requires getting rid of pride, which is characteristic of any individual.

Humility and meekness are qualities of character, without which a person cannot live in harmony with himself and with the world around him. They are characteristic of a mature person who has passed a certain life path.

However, a person can try to learn it if he understands that exorbitant pride and unscrupulousness hinder inner growth.

What gives humility?

The ability to listen to anyone. Here it is also very important to listen submissively, that is, delving into, without getting annoyed, without thinking to yourself: “Well, when he (she) is already silent.” This attitude will not offend your opponent, and you will understand what the person is trying to convey to you. then decide whether it is important to you or not.
The ability to ask for forgiveness. It is sincere repentance for the deed and a conscious desire not to act in this way in the future.
"Vaccination" from vanity and boasting.

False Humility

And here it was not without a fly in the ointment in a barrel of honey ...

Often a person who wants to become humble falls into a trap. He chooses the model of behavior of a demonstratively humble person. For example, he begins to behave modestly in order to amuse his sense of self-importance. Here self-deception turns on: you behave humbly not in order to grow internally, but to draw attention to yourself as a good boy or as a “good” person.

How to become more meek and develop humility?

To understand what meekness, the meaning of the word, is truly possible only in practice.

1. Help people as much as you can.

2. Fight your pride.

3. Don't be arrogant towards others.

4. Respect the point of view of any person.

5. Do not verbally insult the interlocutor. An offensive word spoken in an emotional outburst often hurts more than an act.

6. Develop prudence. That is, first think, and then speak or act.

7. Have self-respect and not go to extremes. and too soft character - this is also not good. Adequate self-esteem is like a balance in balance.

Meekness in various religions. The Parable of the Buddha and the Elephant

Humanity, modesty and kindness are the most important Christian qualities. The Bible says that meekness is one of the virtues:

In the Old Testament, she is associated with Moses. Overcoming adversity and hardship, this man found meekness. "Moses was the meekest of all people on earth," says the Book of Numbers.
The New Testament speaks of the meekness and mercy of Jesus Christ. showed good qualities of character in action: taught humility, acceptance and various virtues.

Buddhism also considers meekness to be an important character trait. There is a well-known parable in which the Buddha, thanks to this quality, stopped the elephant.

How to achieve spiritual harmony?

Harmony with oneself is the most important component of the life of a modern person, which correlates with happiness. People subconsciously strive for such a calm and peaceful state. How to achieve it?

Humility and meekness are the qualities of a strong person who knows how to accept the surrounding reality and live in harmony with it.

meekness- MEEKNESS1, irresponsibility, resignation, humility Dictionary-thesaurus of synonyms of Russian speech

Columbine simplicity. Book. About a meek, quiet, patient person. BMS 1998, 318 ... Big dictionary of Russian sayings

J. distraction. noun according to adj. meek Explanatory Dictionary of Ephraim. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language Efremova

Books

How to educate your soul. Humility and meekness in our daily life, . This book is dedicated to the two greatest Christian virtues - humility and meekness, and consists of selected sayings of the great elders, who in their own words, as it were, answer our questions about ...
How to acquire meekness of the soul? Holy Fathers on Meekness, Mikhail Davidovich Molotnikov. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5) - such is the third Gospel beatitude. What is meekness in the Orthodox sense, what kind of "land" will the meek inherit, and why do they...

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