MEASURING UP TO

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 12 Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Measuring Up To”.

In today’s gospel, Jesus gets his mind and grip on one of life’s big issues: measuring up to. [Cf. Matthew 7: 1-5]

With out Gospel reading today, Jesus is still preaching his Sermon on the Mount. We’re still contrasting it with Moses in the Book of Exodus as he gave us the Ten Commandments when he came down from Mount Sinai. Jesus, the New Moses, tells us on this new mountain to keep those commandments, but as we’re listening to him we are hearing that there is so much more on how to live life to the full.

Today’s gospel begins, “Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”

The Greek words for “judging” and “measuring” are “KRITES” and “METRON”. They become the roots for English words we’re familiar with: criteria or critic, and metrics.

IN JESUS’ TIME

In Jesus’ time judging, stereotyping, criticizing, measuring, carping, labeling, and pigeonholing were big time energy consumers. (1)

And Jesus ends up being killed by those who didn’t allow him to be who he said he was: “I am who I am!” Jesus was saying with his life: “I can’t be someone else that you might be looking for.”

Read the gospels with an eye on just this one issue of expectations. You’ll spot many, many times when people are judging, miscasting, being critical, complaining, throwing rocks at others. You’ll notice that people keep on wanting others to behave in a way that is different from the way they are. Once more we think our way is the right way and the only way. Spot this issue and you’ll be able to mine a lot of good growth challenges for self – and come up with a less painful attitude towards others.

TODAY

How about today – how about in our lives – how much energy do we consume in inward criticism and judging others?

Life is loaded with this issue of measuring and judging others.

We have to climb the mountain of our own mind – because that’s where the action is. First of all there are all those rulers and tapes and measuring methods we compare ourselves against. What does God expect of me? What does my family expect of me? What does society, neighbors, expect of me? Am I living up to my goals that I set for my life? Do I measure them against some list I have in mind about getting into heaven or hell after this life? Next – I have all kinds of expectations and rules for life for neighbors, for kids, for parents, on how to eat, how to drink, how to pick up after one’s dog, etc.

Last night 4 of us went to a restaurant for supper and the table next to us had a big family group – lots of kids – and after they left, two waitresses had to sweep up from the floor a lot of pieces of ripped paper, 3 crayons, and several pieces of food. They didn’t measure up to how I was trained to leave my place at a restaurant.

It’s a good idea to see what are my expectations about life and life’s various situations. It’s good to get in touch with how we measure and judge others, situations, failures and successes.

For example, I think there are two kinds of drivers: Type A and Type B drivers. Type A Drivers ride on other’s tail pipe. They come right at one’s back. They rush to red lights and stop signs – braking, braking, braking - as they get close to the light or car in front of them. Type B Drivers are laid back and give the car in front of them plenty of room.

Type A drivers have to buy new brakes sooner than Type B drivers.

I am a Type B driver – but who says I’m right? Notice I tailor the description of these two types to my advantage.

I sense that Jesus is saying this desire of wanting others to play our game, follow our rules – meet our expectations - can lead to a lot of energy fusion and confusion and anger, etc.

Jesus did say to turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, give the shirt off your back. He’s saying something there. Jesus is so other centered.

He doesn’t use seem to use rulers or measuring tapes that others use.

I would assume if we broke our rulers and burned our measuring tapes – we’d be a lot happier.

TWO CONCLUSIONS AND TWO SHORT JOKES

Imagine going through life – seeing life as if it was an arena with judges sitting there with cards with numbers #1 to 10 on them – and after each thing we do, they raise a card: # 3 or #8 or #25.

Who said life is a ice skating contest or a Dancing with the Stars contest and we get judged?

Wouldn’t it be more interesting and more joyful if it was a dance – or an ice skating pond and nobody was judging us.

There 2 jokes that I love and they fit here?

Did you ever hear about the one armed fisherman who caught a fish this big?

Or did you ever hear of the one armed golfer, who missed a put by this much?

Sometimes two arms can be a handicap. We need to make our ruler or tape measure endless. Amen.

So why not stop drinking our coffee in one of those see through measuring cups - that have numbers and markings on the side. Pitch that cup. Break that glass. Use a regular cup and enjoy the taste of coffee or tea or cocoa or whatever you’re drinking of life’s great tastes.

NOTES

(1) Cf. notes on Matthew 7:1-5 in Bruce J. Malina and Richard L. Rohrbaugh, Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN, page 67.