Page 223 - spiritual_accompaniment_montreal_archdiocese
P. 223
HOMILIES
When we make this experience of being humiliated, one way to respond to the humiliation
that we resent so very much is to become aware of it and to ask God for the grace not to
humiliate another in return: “Lord, help me, I am humiliated. Give me the grace not to
humiliate another person.”
In this way, the fact of having been humiliated make us more humble and gentle towards
others. Today, on this feast day of St. Peter, he invites us to believe in the victory of gentleness.
In the book of prophet Zechariah from which we read today, Jesus is anticipated as the
Christ, the King of the Universe. The passage from the Gospel today makes other references
to the prophet Isaiah and other prophetic writings where the Messiah is announced as a
King-Saviour.
How does the King-Saviour present himself? He does not arrive on a great battle horse, he
arrives on a small donkey. Jesus, the King and Saviour, arrives humbly, a humble king.
Does this humility mean that he will be a defeated king? No. Because he is a humble king, he
will be a victorious king.
In humility is gentleness. And in gentleness is strength.
The real strength is gentleness. Gentleness is a force. The real force is in stability of gentle-
ness. The real force is in perseverance of gentleness. Strength is stability and perseverance in
service. This is gentleness, the service by love.
Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 223
