About 30 years ago, I discovered how dumb I really was. Actually, others knew that long before I did. Up until that point, I thought that I was reasonably intelligent, a good reader, and able to grasp concepts without any trouble at all. All of that changed the day the Apple II arrived – my first computer. I would read the directions – which, as you know, is not at all a guy thing to do. I would do exactly, so I thought, what the book said to do. And all I would get was a blinking dot, or “access denied” or “try again.” Didn’t this stupid box realize with whom it was dealing? I was bound and determined that I would master this insidious device that was supposed to make my life much easier. Well, I don’t think that I ever fully mastered it, but we have come to some mutual understandings of our respective roles.

I use the example of the computer because the lessons I learned 30 years ago apply directly to the awesome task of living life and especially living the Christian life. We think we are pretty smart until something comes along that radically changes our perspectives, our understandings, and even our expectations. In learning the computer, I loathed reading the directions, and I thought I had all the answers. After all, I was I, and it was an it. Sometimes we face life in exactly the same way. We think we have the answers. We would never think of reading the manual, and we are insulted when life does not work out the way we think it should rather than the way life thinks that it should.

So, how should we face this enterprise of living day by day? Fortunately, Jesus provides some very good guidance. In a very small, obscure sentence from today’s gospel, Jesus says: “you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned….you have revealed them to little ones.” There it is in a nutshell. The wise and the learned have a hard time understanding life and understanding the gospel message because they are too caught up in their own accomplishments, their own knowledge, their own perspectives. In other words, they are so engrossed in themselves that they cannot see beyond themselves….because, after all, they already have all the answers.

Be careful, though. Jesus is not saying that we shouldn’t be smart. He is not condemning intellectual power. Rather, he is condemning intellectual pride. There is a big difference between intellectual power and intellectual pride. Intellectual power is a gift given to us by God; intellectual pride is when we misuse that gift.

The truly intelligent are those whom Jesus calls “the little ones.” Young people have an innate desire to learn, to learn more. At some point in their development, some children seem to lose the eagerness to learn. I don’t want to condemn any one age group. So, I will let you the parents determine when that was. Jesus praises the eagerness of those thirsting for knowledge. Unlike those filled with intellectual pride, they are filled with honest, realistic humility that allows them to be open to the truth of God. The intellectually proud have no room for God and his answers. The humble recognize their need for God and that life has meaning only in God. They are humble enough to know that they do not have all the answers, and, in fact, they often do not even have the questions. The intellectually proud have all the answers before the questions are even asked. Unfortunately, just as I ended up with “try again” in my early computer days. So, the proud and the arrogant only find “access denied” while the humble, those who recognize their need for God, are given total access even without a password.

Jesus goes on to say: “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Here’s where the arrogant and proud have a hard time.

Meekness is not weakness. It doesn’t mean that we just sit idly by while others dump on us. Meekness or gentleness is a form of strength because only a truly strong person can be truly gentle. The spiritual writer Henri Nouwen has said: “A gentle person treads lightly, listens carefully, looks tenderly, and touches with reverence.” The gentle person knows that growth comes from nurturing, not by forcing.

Do we want to be weak or strong? Well, as a matter of fact, only the weak in this world measure their success by the number of persons they can dominate. Weak people have to puff themselves up and act strong in order to hide how weak they truly are. Today’s terminology for that kind of person is a bully. The strong person is not harsh. Rather the strong person does not need to control others because the strong person knows how to respect others.

Jesus asks us to come to him because he will provide the rest that we need. His way of life provides peace of soul because the gentle and peaceful of this earth can really dominate the world. They are at peace with themselves and do not need to wage war or strife with their neighbors.

We just celebrated the Fourth of July when we commemorated our country’s rootedness in freedom and peace. As a nation, we have always strived to live in peace and to bring peace. The more we stray from the principles given to us by Christ, the more proud and arrogant we will become.

Our belief is rooted in Jesus Christ. His message of peace is simple: rest with, stay with him and learn from him. His gentleness and his humility will conquer the earth.

As we celebrate the Eucharist today, we pray that Christ may reign in our hearts so that we can experience the strength that comes from being meek and humble of heart. Intellectual pride and arrogance, like dealing with the computer, only lead to frustration and dissatisfaction. Gentleness and humility give us the password, not into a computer, but rather into life, life everlasting.