DEALING WITH 

THE NAGGING 

NIT-PICKING IN LIFE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 9^th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Dealing With The Nagging Nit-Picking In Life.”

One of my favorite scripture texts is Mark 14: 19 and it’s also Matthew 26:22, “Is It I Lord?”

At the Last Supper Jesus says, “One of you is going to betray me!” And the different disciples around the table ask, “Is it I, Lord?”

I think that’s a great way to read the scriptures. We hear a story. We read a parable. We hear a challenge and we ask, “Is it I, Lord.”

And Jesus says that it’s the one who dips his hand  in the dish with me. That’s the one who will betray me.

So we hear a story or a parable and we dip our life into it and we ask, “Is it I, Lord?” Then we ponder if it hits and fits us.

So the title of my homily is, “Dealing With The Nagging Nit-Picking In Life.”

Question: Is it I, Lord?

In the gospels the Pharisees and / or the disciples often ask, “Are you aiming this at me?”

Jesus is more subtle than saying, “Yes” - but I sense that’s what he is doing.

TODAY’S READINGS

I got this thought when I read today’s first reading from Tobit 2:9-14. He gets his wife Anna’s goat - picking on her - thinking she stole the goat that was given her. He ticks her off, so she starts nitpicking back at him - attacking him for having false piety and charity.

Put the stetascope on marriages or family gatherings or at work or the rectory and you’ll hear the same back and forth nit picking.  Sometimes comments are just in fun; other times they can be nasty.

And in today’s gospel once more the Pharisees and the Herodians are on Jesus’ case - trying to trap and trick him with  questions - this time about paying taxes  - so Jesus pulls a great coin trick on them. He asks for a denarius - a coin and asks, “Whose image is on this coin?” We heard them reply: “Caesar’s.” So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” [Cf. Mark 12: 13-17]

CONCLUSION: ONE LESSON FOR TODAY

We can’t change the other person’s behavior or patterns, but we can work on our own.

When we’ve been with each other long enough, we know each other’s weaknesses and where and how to nit-pick - where to nag - where to get back at - how to be like a mosquito or a gnat - and then and there or sooner or later when the right moment appears, we shoot back from the hip and from the lip or we do it behind the other’s back - with the dig or the gossip or the complaint - wrapped in sandpaper.

So I think a good lesson for today would be to catch ourselves when we’re about to fire a comeback at someone to their face or behind their back- someone whom we think is getting our goat - to simply zip the lip [GESTURE].