Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our
continuing catechesis on the
Beatitudes, we now consider the
third Beatitude: “Blessed are the
meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Mt
5:5). Scripture uses the term “meek” for the
poor and the dispossessed of the land. Jesus’
statement that the meek will inherit the earth
can thus seems contradictory. Yet the Lord
tells us that the meek will inherit the earth.
The Beatitude ultimately points us to the
heavenly homeland promised to the children
of God. For Jesus, the meek are those who
have learned to guard the territory of their
relationship with God and preserve his
gifts of peace, mercy and fraternity. Sin can
destroy this inheritance, for the hatred and
division that flow from sin are destructive.
Meekness, on the other hand, preserves this
inheritance, enables it to grow and wins the
hearts of others by love, kindness and friend-
ship. By imitating the meekness of Christ,
may we help to extend his kingdom and
come to receive the inheritance promised to
us by the Beatitude.
