MARK 9:30-37
BEFORE I START, DO WE
HAVE ANY VISITORS HERE TODAY? ANYONE WHO ISN'T A REGULAR AT SAINT
MARY'S?
ISN'T IT REMARKABLY HUMAN
TO SAY OR DO SOMETHING TO PUT YOURSELF IN THE BEST LIGHT? SOMETIMES
IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS. I REMEMBER WALKING IN ON A TEENAGE DAUGHTER AND
A YOUNG MAN SHE HAD JUST MET. THEY WERE HAVING A CONVERSATION. HE
WAS TELLING HER ALL ABOUT HIMSELF, AND SHE WAS GIGGLING
UNCONTROLLABLY, I GUESS BECAUSE SOMEONE WAS PAYING ATTENTION TO HER.
MEN TEND TO DO THAT. JUST LISTEN TO MEN CONVERSE AMONG THEMSELVES
WHEN THEY ARE RELAXING OVER A BEER. IF NOTHING ELSE, THEY EACH ARE
TRYING TO SHOW THE OTHERS THAT THEY KNOW MORE – ABOUT THE RED SOX,
ABOUT POLITICS, YOU NAME IT. WOMEN, AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, DON'T
TALK LIKE MEN DO WHEN THEY ARE ONLY WITH OTHER WOMEN. BUT THEY DO
OTHER THINGS; THEY MAKE SURE THEIR HAIR IS COMBED AND THEIR LIPSTICK
IS ON STRAIGHT; THEY ARE MUCH MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE
WEARING THAN MEN TEND TO BE. AND THEY DON'T LIKE TO BE WEARING
SOMETHING EXACTLY LIKE ANOTHER WOMAN IS WEARING.
I THINK ALMOST EVERYONE
IS SORT OF UNCONSCIOUSLY TRYING TO PUT HIMSELF OR HERSELF IN THE BEST
LIGHT. EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU ARE REALLY HUMBLE, AND NONE OF THIS
APPLIES TO YOU, CONSIDER HOW YOU REACT WHEN SOMEONE CUTS IN FRONT OF
YOU IN THE GROCERY STORE LINE, OR NEARLY CLIPS YOUR CAR RUNNING A RED
LIGHT. ANGER FLARES UP, AND YOU MAY NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, BUT
THAT IS YOUR HUMANITY TALKING. SOME PEOPLE ARE SO SENSITIVE TO BEING
“DISSED” THAT THEY FEEL THEY HAVE TO GET REVENGE.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE
APOSTLES WERE DOING. THEY WEREN'T FIGHTING, THEY WERE JUST WALKING
ALONG MAKING CONVERSATION. PETER SAID, “I WAS THE ONE WHO
RECOGNIZED OUR MASTER AS THE MESSIAH!” ANDREW SAID, “THAT MAY BE
SO, BUT I'M THE FIRST ONE HE MADE AN APOSTLE.” JAMES CHIMED IN,
“WELL, HE'S MY COUSIN!” AND JUDAS SAID, “YES, BUT LOOK WHO HE
TRUSTS WITH THE MONEY!”
WHEN YOU ARE OLD ENOUGH
TO THINK, YOU THINK YOU ARE SPECIAL. WHEN YOU ARE FULL OF YEARS, YOU
THINK YOU ARE SPECIAL. MY GRANDPARENTS WERE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT THE
GOOD OLD DAYS, OR HOW MUCH BETTER IT WAS WHERE THEY USED TO LIVE.
THEY HAD SECRET KNOWLEDGE THAT THEIR GRANDSON DIDN'T SHARE. THAT
MADE THEM SPECIAL IN THEIR OWN EYES.
DON'T GET ME WRONG. I
THINK I'M SPECIAL; I ALWAYS HAVE. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH A
HEALTHY EGO; AND INDEED IN GOD'S EYES WE ARE ALL UNIQUE, WE ARE ALL
SPECIAL. THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO CONFESS OUR SINS ONCE IN A
WHILE, TO FAST, TO BEND OUR WILLS NOW AND THEN TO ACCEPTING WHAT WE
MAY NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND OR MAY NOT COMPLETELY AGREE WITH; FOR MANY
OF US, IT IS THE RECOGNITION THAT THE CHURCH IS OUR MOTHER AND OUR
TEACHER, AND WHEN WE DISAGREE WITH THE CHURCH, MAYBE WE ARE WRONG.
JESUS KNEW WHAT HIS
APOSTLES WERE TALKING ABOUT; AFTER ALL, HE PROBABLY HAD BEEN WALKING
A LITTLE AHEAD OF THE GROUP AND HEARD EVERY WORD. AND HE COULD HAVE
SAID, “YOU ARE ALL SPECIAL, YOU ARE ALL MY FAVORITES.” WHAT
CHILD IN A FAMILY OF SEVERAL CHILDREN HASN'T HEARD THAT ONE?” OR
HE COULD HAVE SAID, “PETER IS THE GREATEST. I'M GOING TO MAKE HIM
POPE.” AND THAT WOULD HAVE ENDED THINGS RIGHT THERE. BUT WHAT HE
DID WAS TO TAKE A LITTLE CHILD WHO WAS WALKING ALONG WITH THE CROWD
THAT WAS FOLLOWING JESUS AND HIS FRIENDS. AND THE POINT HE MADE WAS
THAT THEY WERE TO ACCEPT EVEN A LITTLE CHILD – SOMEONE WHO WAS AT
THE FRINGE OF SOCIETY, SOMEONE FULL OF POTENTIAL, PERHAPS, BUT RIGHT
NOW, DEPENDENT, NEEDING A DIAPER CHANGE, NEEDING FOOD, NEEDING,
NEEDING.
BECAUSE HAVING A HEALTHY
EGO IS OK, BUT IT SHOULD GO ALONG WITH KNOWING, DEEP IN OUR HEARTS,
THAT EVERYONE HAS A HEALTHY EGO, AND INSTEAD OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
HOW WE ARE UNIQUE, HOW WE MAY BE SUPERIOR IN AT LEAST SOMETHING, WE
SHOULD BE INVITING OTHER PEOPLE INTO OUR CIRCLE, NOT DRAWING
DISTINCTIONS, IF ONLY IN OUR OWN MIND. EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE
RECOGNIZED; WE HUMAN BEINGS THRIVE WHEN WE ARE REMINDED THAT WE ARE
IMPORTANT TO SOMEONE ELSE. MY FATHER IN LAW HAD THAT GIFT. HE WAS A
VERY SMART MAN, VERY ACCOMPLISHED. HE AVIDLY FOLLOWED HIS BELOVED
SPORTS TEAMS AND POLITICS. WHEN YOU ASKED HIM A A QUESTION, HE COULD
USUALLY ANSWER IT, BUT HE MUCH PREFERRED TO LISTEN TO YOU – WHETHER
YOU WERE A SON-IN-LAW OR A SMALL GRANDCHILD. AND THIS WAS GENUINE,
BECAUSE WHEN HE WAS DOING THIS, HE HAD A BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE. HE
ACCEPTED YOU, WARTS AND ALL.
ONE OF THE CRITICISMS OF
MANY CHRISTIAN CONGREGATIONS, THIS ONE INCLUDED, IS THAT WE ARE NOT
WELCOMING. PART OF THE REASON WE AREN'T WELCOMING IS BECAUSE WE
DON'T WANT TO BE VULNERABLE. THERE'S NOTHING LIKE GREETING A
STRANGER AND HAVING THAT PERSON GIVE US A COLD SILENT STARE. THERE'S
NOTHING LIKE SAYING HELLO TO SOMEONE WHO LOOKS AT US BLANKLY AND THEN
TURNS TO SOMEONE ELSE. IF WE ARE REALLY WELCOMING PEOPLE, WE CAN
EXPECT TO BE DISRESPECTED. SO IT'S EASIER NOT TO PUT OURSELVES OUT.
JESUS HOLDS UP A LITTLE
CHILD AND SAYS, THIS IS THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION YOU ARE ASKING –
WHO IS THE GREATEST. THE ONE WHO RECEIVES THIS LITTLE CHILD WELCOMES
ME. THE ONE WHO TURNS THE HUMAN NEED TO BE SPECIAL ON IT'S HEAD, AND
INSTEAD OPERATES IN A WAY THAT MAKES OTHER PEOPLE FEEL SPECIAL, THAT
IS THE ONE WHO IS THE GREATEST. THAT, AFTER ALL IS WHAT GOD DOES AS
HE DEALS WITH EACH OF US, POURING OUT HIS LOVE FOR US, LISTENING TO
US, HOLDING US CLOSE – AND NEVER SAYING TO YOU AND I THAT WE SHOULD
BE THE ONES RECOGNIZING HIS GREATNESS, WE SHOULD BE THE ONES BOWING
TO HIM; HE POURS OUT HIS LOVE ON THE JUST AND UNJUST ALIKE.
LOOK AROUND YOU TODAY.
IS THERE SOMEONE YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE, OR PERHAPS SOMEONE YOU HAVE
SEEN IN CHURCH EVERY WEEKEND FOR THE LAST YEAR BUT NEVER REALLY
SPOKEN TO? MAKE IT A POINT TODAY TO FOLLOW JESUS' EXAMPLE AND
WELCOME THAT PERSON. DON'T JUST NOD AND WAVE; BE GENUINELY
INTERESTED IN WHO THEY ARE, WHAT THEY DO. AND IF THEY ARE JUST
VISITING ST. MARY'S TELL THEM THEY ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO COME BACK.
AND IF THEY ARE PEOPLE YOU'VE SEEN BEFORE BUT NEVER TALKED TO, MAKE
YOURSELF VULNERABLE, OPEN YOURSELF UP. AND MAKE IT A HABIT TO DO
THIS EVERY WEEKEND WHEN YOU COME TO MASS.
BECAUSE WHO RECEIVES ONE
SUCH AS THIS CHILD, RECEIVES JESUS, AND IN FACT, THE ONE WHO SENT
JESUS TO US.
