Pope Francis: The Meek Are Not Pushovers

Pope Francis quoted St. Paul’s description of “the sweetness and meekness of Christ,” and said that St. Peter also called attention to this quality of Jesus at his passion in 1 Peter 2:23 when Christ “did not respond and did not threaten because ‘he entrusted himself to the one who judges with justice.’”

The pope also pointed to examples from the Old Testament, quoting Psalm 37, which similarly links “meekness” with the possession of land.

“In Scripture the word ‘meek’ also indicates one who has no landed property; and therefore we are struck by the fact that the third beatitude says precisely that the meek ‘will inherit the earth,’” he said.

“Possession of land is a typical area of ​​conflict: one often fights for a territory, to obtain hegemony over a certain area. In wars the strongest prevails and conquers other lands,” he added.

Pope Francis said that the meek do not conquer the land, they “inherit” it.

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“The People of God call the land of Israel which is the Promised Land ‘inheritance’ … That land is a promise and a gift for the people of God, and it becomes a sign of something much bigger and deeper than a simple territory,” he said.

The meek inherits “the most sublime of territories,” Francis said describing heaven, and the land he conquers is “the heart of others.”

“There is no land more beautiful than the heart of others, there is no more beautiful territory to be gained than the peace found with a brother. And that is the land to be inherited with meekness,” Pope Francis said.

Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.