WHO  WOULD  YOU 

RATHER  BE?

[Self Test # 7]

[This was a homily or a self test or a reflective questionnaire for our St. Mary's High School Mass today. I noticed in the Lectionary for April 23, one of the options was the gospel for the feast of St. Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr. It was John 10:11-16 - "A Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."]

Who would you rather be: a Good Shepherd or a scared Hired Hand who runs away when he hears the sounds of wild wolves - or wild dogs in the night?

Who would you rather be: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Blake Griffin, Jeremy Lin, or Nelson Mandela?

Who would you rather be: Madonna or Lady Ga Ga or Pat Summit or Brittany Griner or would you rather be Aung San Suu Kyi who was under house arrest for almost 15 years - received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 - and finally was released on November 13, 2010. Her party recently won 43 out of the 45 vacant seats in the lower house of parliament in Myanmar (Burma)?

Who would you rather be: J. K. Rowling or Suzanne Collins or Jennifer Lawrence?

Who would you rather be: George Zimmerman or Treyvon Martin?

Who would you rather be: the bug or the windshield, the Louisville Slugger, the bat, or the ball as the old song, “The Bug” - sung by Mary Chapin Carpenter - goes?

Who would you rather be: the kid graduating from kindergarten this spring or the kid graduating from high school this spring?

Who would you rather be: the cheerleader or the manager of the sports team?

Who would you rather be like: your mom or your dad?

Who would you rather be: the lobster or the clam?

Who would you rather be: the tortoise or the hare?

Who would you rather be: the sheep or the goat?

Who would you rather be" the welcome mat at your front door or the comfort blankie the 3 year older can’t let go of - even though it’s covered with rips and spills and stains of washed out poops or “Ooops!” or who knows what?

Who would you rather be: the famous artist who did the painting on the wall - hanging in the National Art Gallery or the guard in the dark blue uniform who stands there watching 1000 people every day and 10,000 on weekends - go by that painting - telling people what time it is and where the bathrooms are - every time with a smile and a “How do you do”?

Who would you rather be: the kid who goes to the community college, even though her parents wanted her to go to State - but by going to Community, she ended up meeting her husband to be and finally finished her college 21 years later - after their 4th kid got into high school and they love going to Davis’ pub once a month, the beach every summer or would you rather be the kid who went to an Ivy league school - and his or her parents wonder where he or she is now - after dropping out of 3 alcoholic rehab places so far?

Who would you rather be: the Prodigal Son in the story who came home after messing up his life and asked his father’s forgiveness or the older brother who never messed up - but wouldn’t forgive his younger brother when he came home after messing up his life?

Who would you rather be: a plumber who doesn’t mind - well doesn’t mind most of the time - when he’s called up at two o’clock in the morning to come and fix a broken pipe in a bathroom or a philosopher like Benjamin Williams whom a high school senior named Harrison Smith loves to read?

Who would you rather be: a skateboard or a ten speed bike?

Who would you rather be: an Easter Lily that lasts two weeks - and sits there in church singing Alleluia like a horn or would you rather be a desert cactus still surviving, still growing, mostly unnoticed, but celebrates whenever it gets a bit of water, even though it stings or cuts someone every once and a while?

Who would you rather be: a shotgun or a policeman’s bullet proof vest?

Who would you rather be: a priest or a nun celebrating 25 years of service or a married couple celebrating their 25th Wedding Anniversary?

Who would you rather be: an 87 foot yacht that sleeps 32 people or a tiny sail boat that seats 2, but can be pulled to a dock on a small car trailer?

Who would you rather be in the case found on page 76 in M.S. Peck’s book, The Road Less Traveled: “Imagine two generals, each having to decide whether or not to commit a division of ten thousand men to battle. To one the division is but a thing, a unit of personnel, and instrument of strategy and nothing more. To the other it is these things, but he is also aware of each and every one of the ten thousand lives and the lives of the families of each of the ten thousand.”

Who would you rather be: a 17 year old girl in Minnesota who got pregnant - put her baby up for adoption and went on to become a doctor and her baby she finds out 27 years later also became a doctor, surprise, surprise or would you rather be a 17 year old girl in Wilmington who got pregnant and had her baby aborted and she too became a doctor?

Who would you rather be the kid over there in that other bench here in this church or would you rather be the person in your skin, in your clothes, in your seat, with your story so far?