Homily 22^nd Week Ordinary times C

JESUS TEACHES ABOUT PRIDE, VANITY, AND FACEBOOK

In this week’s gospel reading, from Luke, chapter 14, Jesus offered an important teaching about pride and vanity. Jesus said: “There once was a man who set up a Facebook account. At first, the man connected with many long-lost friends from high school and college. He went online a couple of times each day to see what was new in the lives of his friends.

“Soon after, he began to type witty replies to the various postings he saw. Then he began to post his own updates, letting everyone know what was new and important in his life. Whenever someone else commented on one of his postings, the man had a surge of delight. ‘People are noticing me!’ he thought. ‘People think I’m important!’

“As time went on, the man spent more and more time on his computer. He would post updates about virtually everything that happened in his life, including what he had for breakfast, the current weather conditions in his town, and pretty much any random thought or opinion that popped into his head. He then would stare at the computer screen anxiously waiting for someone to reply.

“However, the man noticed that people were not commenting on his postings as often as they used to. This caused him to become frustrated. ‘Why aren’t people noticing me anymore?’ he thought. ‘Don’t they know that I’m important?!’

“One day the man posted a lengthy description of what he ate at a Mexican restaurant the previous evening, and an even more lengthy and graphic description of how the food had affected his digestive system that morning. Someone quickly commented on his post. The man thought to himself, ‘Oh goodie, someone finally noticed me.’ But then he read the comment, which said, ‘Hey jerk! Who cares?!! Get a life, will ya?!!’

“The man was devastated, and walked away from his computer sadly, because he had much pride and vanity.”

Then Jesus concluded His teaching by saying, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Back then, Jesus described people who had been invited to a banquet. Many of these people immediately chose “the places of honor at the table.” They wanted to sit with the most important people in attendance, so they would be noticed by others and thereby increase their own prestige.

Jesus explained this strategy could backfire, as a more important guest might arrive, and the host would have to tell the attention-seeker to move to the least prestigious place. Jesus told his listeners: “When you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.”

Right after this, Jesus offered His conclusion: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Pride and vanity have always been chronic problems for mankind. It was the case back in Jesus’ day, and it is our situation nowadays—times ten.

Baby boomers are known as the “Me Generation,” because those of us born between 1946 and 1964 were trained from infancy to be completely self-centered. Today many people have taken that concept to the next level, and now we have the “Look-At-Me Generation.” Narcissism has been combined with exhibitionism. Just think about what is very popular these days: online social networks like Facebook and Twitter; home-made videos on YouTube; reality TV programs with not-so-hidden cameras everywhere; “sexting,” where teenagers send naked photos of themselves via cell phone cameras; and athletes who pound their chests and celebrate as if they won the Super Bowl whenever they do something fairly routine, like catch a 5-yard pass in the second quarter of a pre-season game.

People are craving attention. People are desperate to be noticed. People are going to outrageous lengths to exalt themselves. And Jesus clearly teaches this attitude is very wrong.

Unfortunately, we live in a society marked by radical individualism. In many people’s minds, the only thing that counts is the self. When a person perceives him or herself as the center of the universe, the expectation naturally is for everyone else to pay attention. But if everyone is the center of his or her own universe, with all the attention turned inward, few people are left to notice anyone else.

The narcissism combined with exhibitionism observed on social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, is at first rather annoying. But when you look a little deeper, it’s clear the relentless postings are really pitiful cries for attention.

Jesus didn’t teach the importance of humility simply because He wanted everyone to be modest and quiet and subdued. He offered this teaching because He knows that when a person is self-absorbed and constantly in need of attention, that person will never be content. It’s like a drug. The more you get, the more you want and the more you need. As soon as people stop noticing, there are painful withdrawal symptoms and the desperate craving for more attention.

Many of Jesus’ teachings fly in the face of modern worldly values. Jesus said we have to “die to self” to be truly content and at peace. He said we have to serve others in order to be served. And this week, He said we have to humble ourselves if we want to be exalted.

It’s kind of a Catch-22. When we seek happiness by being self-centered and craving attention from others, we’ll never get it. But when we stop focusing on ourselves and instead strive to follow the two great commandments—love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves—then we will be happy.

So if you must dabble in Facebook to keep in touch with old friends, fine. But be aware it has the power to bring out the worst in people. Please don’t turn into a desperate me-monkey constantly crying out for attention. It will only make you miserable in the long run, and it will drive you further and further away from healthy relationships, both with the Lord and with other people.