“I am meek and humble at heart…
Take my yoke upon you.
My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Copernicus in the year 1610 sparked
what is now known as the Copernican revolution.
He changed the whole world by challenging the worldview.
At that time, everyone believed
that everything revolved around the earth.
He said, ‘No, we all revolve around the sun!”
It was a revolution not only in mind and thought,
it truly opened up everyone’s eyes completely.
Of course, since then, we have come to understand
that we are not the only planet revolving around the sun
and we are in a galaxy called the Milky Way.
There are literally 10 galaxies for every human person in the world.
There are billions of galaxies!
It tends to make us feel a little bit small
given that we are just these little human beings
on one little planet in the midst of many planets,
in the midst of many galaxies.
What we need today is a Copernican revolution of our hearts.
The biggest issue we deal with today is that
we think the world revolves around us individually;
me, my wants, what I want, what I need.
It is all about me, my, and I.
It is actually insidious.
It is in everything we do from the shopping,
the advertising, even a conversation on the internet or social media.
It seems to be all about me and my and
rarely do we ever talk about we, and ours.
It is a real struggle.
What we need is a Copernican revolution of humility.
A Copernican revolution of the heart
that takes everything away and blows up our mind
and sort of says let’s re-evaluate everything
according to that new, that new way.
That is exactly what Christ tried to do when he came here.
Now we do not call it a Copernican revolution
nor should we, it was the gospel.
The gospel was about following God
and knowing God was love;
and that we are called to love all others:
To love God; to love others just like we love ourselves.
That revolution of the heart has still not taken place.
Often in this world of “my; my way; I want this;
I want what I want, I want it now; and it is mine!
What does the Lord say to us here today?
This is really a passage that needs a little breaking open
because it is hard to hear.
First of all, the Lord talks about the yoke
and we, here in Silicon Valley, we are not very agriculturally minded.
Let’s break open the metaphor a little.
The yoke is that wooden instrument
that tied two oxen together to help plow a field.
It would have been custom made for two animals.
When the Lord says, “My yoke is easy,”
a better translation of this in the Greek would have been
“My yoke fits well.”
Again, we think of yoke as a burden
and that is what he is trying to get into their minds
because the law, the yoke is referring to the law,
the law is easy because it fits well.
The law is made for us as human beings.
We are called to love one another.
This is not something that is burdensome as we think of weight
but it is made well for us. It fits us.
That is who we are.
And so, he says, ‘Yes, of course, it fits well because it comes from him.”
Love God. Love your neighbor. Love yourself.
But then he goes on and he says, “I am meek and humble.”
If we are looking for a revolution of the heart
where we become less self-centered and less about our own ego,
then this is where we need to start.
Now meekness does not mean weakness.
Let’s be clear about that.
Meekness is gentleness.
We could do with a whole lot more gentleness in our world today.
Meekness is actually strength that is contained and controlled.
That is what meekness is.
Let me give you an example:
A fire can ravage a house, burn a house down.
That same fire controlled can hold and heat the whole home.
That is controlled fire.
Meekness is controlled strength and power.
Let me give another example:
Imagine a big tough 6 feet 7 guy full of muscle
holding a little baby in his arms.
Clearly he has the strength to crush the little baby
but he carries that baby gently and kindly.
That is strength controlled, that is meekness.
What does that mean for us really?
It means that we have to be gentle and kind with one another.
We have to be humble and recognize
that we do not need to be harsh.
We do not need to be judgmental;
that we can be gentle and kind to people.
That sounds so easy but in fact, it is hard work!
But that is the yoke that we take up.
This gentleness and this kindness.
Most especially to those who are in need;
those who are broken;
those who have deep wounds.
Those who are wounded in our world
do not need any more harsh judgments.
They have been doing that to themselves for years.
What they need is a gentle, caring hand
that holds them and invites them into this revolution of the heart
that takes them and accepts them where they are.
Many people are asking me as I am joining your parish as your pastor
“What is your vision?
What are you going to do?”
I say to people that I am first going to listen;
listen to you and learn what you have built here.
And only when I have listened and learned can I possibly lead.
I hope to be a gentle, meek and humble servant to you.
I hope you will be gentle and kind back.
What would it be if our whole church
was known to be gentle and kind,
welcoming to the broken and the strangers,
the hurting and the wounded.
What if our parish here at St. Simon’s
became known as the meek parish?
The parish that reaches out a hand of gentleness
and kindness to the broken?
My hope is that I become a meek pastor for you
that helps you to be meek and kind to others.
That all sounds great, but I tell you
where it is going to start for me is in prayer.
I invite you to do the same.
Now what I mean by prayer is not pious prayers,
I mean that we become men and women
who are prepared to listen to the one Good Shepherd;
that we start with humility and meekness in our prayer;
that we say to the Lord,
“I do not know what is best for me
but Lord, what do you think is best for me?”
And that we are humble enough and meek enough
before the Lord and to let him lead us to where he wants us to be.
Pope Francis has said time and time again,
“Our Church is called to welcome in the broken and the wounded.”
He calls the Church a field hospital;
that we are called to reach out to those who are most in need.
That is my hope.
My hope for us as a parish;
is that we reach out to each other with gentleness and kindness;
that we reach out far beyond the walls and the boundaries of this parish
to welcome in all those who are desperately
in need of a gentle and kind hand;
that we become meek with the Lord;
and we take up that yoke because it is well fitting;
it is easy and his burden is light.
If we do that then we will have a new Copernican revolution on our hands,
a revolution of the heart and one that is much needed.
Wouldn’t that be awesome, to be the meek and humble parish!
