Folgenden Text fand ich in einer Predigt. Dies ist ein Ausschnitt, Quelle siehe ganz unten, dort steht auch der komplette Text.

Erstaunlich!

Zitat Anfang:

What I’m going to do is take you behind the English word meek to the Greek word praus, which has much more depth and meaning.   And is much more positive than the word meek.  It’s unfortunate, but true that when we translate the New Testament from Greek to English, there isn’t always an identical word in English to match the Greek, so the scholars do the best they can.  Then, again, the English language is always changing.  And the word meek has become more and more insipid as time has gone on. 

Praus is anything but insipid. 

Someone who has the character quality that the Greeks called praus, is someone who:

1.  Has taken charge of her life.  She understands that there are choices to be made, and makes those choices with integrity.   Self-control might be another way to describe this quality. 

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It’s amazing, isn’t it?  We don’t always have to do what we want to do.  We can choose to delay gratification.  You want to smack somebody in the face?  Shove them around?  You can make another choice. 

2.  This character quality is also about managing your anger.  Aristotle said that praus  is halfway between two extremes:  on the one end is someone who is too angry and on the other is someone who is not angry enough.   Praus is in the middle.   Last week we talked about how important it is to be in touch with your feelings.   Once you get in touch with your feelings, you need to decide how to handle them. If you are praus, you can manage your anger.  You’re assertive enough to express anger appropriately, but you don’t fly into a wild rage.  Your anger is managed. 

Those who are praus, Jesus said, will inherit the earth.  You don’t have to fight for your turf.  You can have a nonviolent approach to life and still get what you need.  Here’s a quote from Gandhi, describing how people responded to his way of life:  “First they ignore you.  Then they laugh at you.  Then they fight you.  Then you win.”  (story file, 17.3.4)

3.  The third dimension of this word praus, is humility.   And here, I don’t mean putting yourself down.   Someone who is humble knows who she is.  She has done a serious inner assessment of his character, abilities and behavior.   The one who is humble knows that he needs forgiveness (nobody’s perfect) and also knows he needs to learn (nobody knows everything).

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This, then, is what it truly means to be meek:  to take charge of your own life and decisions; to manage your emotional life; to have an honest assessment of yourself. 

And the meek are among those whom Jesus calls blessed—happy—content.

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Zitat Ende, Quelle:

http://www.morningstarchurch.org/sermons/blessedarethemeek.html

  MORNING STAR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,  Ministry Center: 6 Station Rd
Bayville, NJ -    Pastor: Rev. Dr. Myrlene Hamilton