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We're on the path on the The Way up to The Sermon on the The Mount.  Join us as we tell you about the trip.

The Rev. Canon Dr. Manoj Zacharia is the Rector of St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Annapolis, MD. He visits CircuOsity .21 to guide through a powerful conversation regarding Matthew 5: 3. Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount by noting that those persons and are downtrodden are blessed by God.  Rev. Dr. Zacharia guides us through an exploration of how he has witnessed this phenomenon in his own life - a life lived in a myriad of cultural settings and with profound ancestral foundation.  Enjoy as we embark on this verse by verse series.

The value of meekness is under siege these days as well as misunderstood. Many people, especially people with authority view meekness as undesirable and weak. They and we would be wise to explore the term of meekness as Matthew’s Jesus uses it in Matthew 5:5 as well as elsewhere in the Gospel.

Ancient Greeks understood meekness, (Praus) as an intentional effort to possess “strength under control.” A meek person was a self-disciplined person who was graceful and artful under pressure, not passive and frail. People of the economic and social underclasses might have learned meekness because of the domination they experienced from intruders and those persons who existed in higher castes than they did. However, beginning with Alexander The Great and Plato, meekness for Ancient Greeks was a self-disciplined praxis for rulers and philosophers alike. We find evidence of tasks to develop meekness in ancient royalty training manuals. 

Today, on CircuOsirty .21, Jim and Howie sit down with Canon Dr. Deirdre Good to discuss meekness within the context of the 1st Century and the 21st Century Beatitudes. Deirdre uses her own text, Jesus The Meek King, along with many other references to tease out the essence of what it means to be meek in the Reign of God as well as how we who desire to follow Jesus may develop the resilience to seek meekness rather than power. The three participants engage in sharing numerous stories of courageous meekness and hospitality they have experienced as well as how Jesus would have us to be meek when it Is necessary.

Blessed are the merciful, not the nice or the pitiful.  Jesus offers this beloving beatitude in the Spirit of compassionate care. Mercy (hesed) is a shower of blessings between the giver and receiver. Bishop Caryle Hughes wisely points out that such mercy in our time requires baptized and confirmed Christians who are practicing Adult Christianity.  Going to church is one important thing. Living into the Church's mission is a much more just adventure. You'll delight in Bishop's humor, sincerity, and grace as she converses with Howie and Jim in this episode.