PODCAST - Press play to listen
25th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Men’s Retreat at Retreat
and Conference Center at Bon Secours
September 23, 2012
How High Can You Swing?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P.
Amato
“…keeping
up with myself”
A father named George Durrant recalls a
wonderful little memory of his children.
One day George took his three children to the
playground at the nearby park. All three
of them were on the swings.
The two older children – Devon and Katherine
– had learned how to pump and swing on their own. They were going higher and higher.
Devon said, “I’m keeping up with Katherine,” and Katherine said, “And I’m keeping up with Devon.” Little Miranda was waiting for her father
to push her and on her own, she was barely moving.
Miranda of course heard Devon and Katherine
announcing how they were keeping up with each other. In response, she simply said, “I’m just keeping up with myself.”
Getting Ahead of Others
Little Miranda’s words help us to appreciate
a core lesson in today’s gospel.
The apostles are arguing about which one of them
is the greatest. Each of them is trying
to be above the other eleven.
Underneath all of this energy, I would say
that each of them wants to feel valuable and worthwhile. What they really want is a sense of self-worth
or self-esteem.
They try to attain this by comparing
themselves to others and in doing this, they are doing exactly what little
Miranda does not do on the swings. She
just keeps up with herself and feels contented with that.
Jesus’
Response
How does Jesus respond to this?
Apparently, there is a child standing nearby.
Jesus gently brings this child right
into the group and with this child, Jesus gives two powerful lessons.
1.
The Value of Each Person
First, Jesus is teaching that each person,
each of us is already valuable just in being ourselves.
In Jesus’ culture, children were at the
bottom of the ladder. For example, if a
family did not have enough food, the father would eat first, then the mother,
and only then would the children get what was left over.
This sounds backwards to us. I bet some of you parents or maybe our
parents held back on eating or on buying something so that the children could
have enough.
Well, here Jesus says, “Whoever receives a child such as this, receives me.” What he’s saying is that a child and, very
importantly, who that child symbolizes – anyone who is seen as the last and
least in society – even these persons are valuable.
We all have value in ourselves. It is inherent in our very being.
So we can be like little Miranda on the swing. We don’t have to compare ourselves with
anyone and we don’t have to be above others as the apostles are trying to do to
attain the value we already have.
Each of us is unconditionally valuable. This is why our Church teaches the value of
human life from conception right through to natural death.
There is an inherent value and worth in each person
and in the life of each person. We are
to protect and respect this life and also find our self-worth right here, not
in comparing ourselves to others or in being above others.
2.
Care for the Least
Then Jesus teaches a second pointed lesson
with this child.
Jesus calls us to care for the least and last
among us. He’s calling for a new
attitude that will issue forth into a new behavior.
Once gain, we are not to compare ourselves
and see ourselves as better than those whose income is at poverty level or
those in need of financial assistance.
We are not to view them or speak of these people as a drain on society.
This attitude or approach is inconsistent
with Jesus’ way. Instead, we are to view
those in need – like the child in the story – as valuable as we ourselves are.
I sometimes think of it this way. In a hospital, the health care professionals
simply treat a person who is sick.
They don’t ask if their intestinal or
coronary trouble is their own fault because of eating all kinds of fatty foods
and, if that’s the case, refuse to treat them.
They simply treat them, help them to get better, and then advise them on
how to care for themselves from that point.
Well, in the same way, we are to value the
last and the least in our society. We
are to care for them without comparing ourselves or seeing them as below us or
ourselves as above them.
And Jesus is saying that again, in doing
this, we ourselves will find self-worth.
Our sense of self will be strengthened and enhanced in the doing of
this.
Conclusion
So, a simple passage today, with lessons that
are powerful and helpful, and maybe also challenging and discomforting.
