The Meek And The Mild

Diriget mites in judicio, docebit mansuetos vias suas. Id est animo pladicos ad promissam facit beatitudinem pervenire. Directus quippe dicitur qui de curvo rectus efficitur. Dicendo autem mites, excludit superbos et elatos; sicut in Evangelio dicit: Beati mites, quia ipsi possidebunt terram. Mansuetos utique, non superbos, qui contra jugum lene et onus leve noxia sibi liberate recalcitrant; sed illos docebit qui sine murmuratione faciunt quae jussa cognoscant. Inter mansuetos enim et mites haec videntur esse distantia: mites sunt qui nulla furoris accensione turbantur, sed in lenitate animi jugiter perservetant; mansueti autem dicuntur, quasi manu consueti, hoc est tolerantes injurias, non reddentes malum pro malo. Cassiodorus, Expositio In Psalterium, Psalmus XXIV Source: Migne PG 70.179b-c

He shall direct the meek in judgement, He shall teach the mild His ways. 1 That is, He shall bring to His promise of beatitude those who are peaceful in their souls. And he says 'direct' because from being crooked they have been made straight. Then saying 'the meek' he excludes the proud and puffed up, as He says in the Gospel: 'Blessed are the meek, because they shall possess the earth.' 2 Certainly the mild are not the proud who cast off the light yoke and burden 3 for freedom for themselves from injury, but He teaches those who without murmuring do what they know He has commanded. There seems to be this difference between the meek and the mild: the meek are those who are not troubled by any flaming up of anger, but in gentleness of soul they persevere under the yoke; those who are mild are accustomed to the hand, that is, they endure injury, and do not return evil for evil. 4 Cassiodorus, Commentary On The Psalms, Psalm 24 1 Ps 24.8 2 Mt 5.4 3 Mt 11.30 4 Mt 5.39