CI  INDEX: 

COMPARISONS  AND  IMITATION

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for the 13^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C,  is, “CI Index: Comparisons and Imitation.”

Comparisons and Imitations: two major issues in life.

Comparing ourselves to others …. Imitating others ….

I’m willing to bet - by mentioning - that we all have a CI Index, someone would say, “I heard of that. What’s that all about again - one’s CI Index?”

And I would say, “I just made that up. As far as I know there is no such thing as one’s CI  Index.”

In coming up with sermons,  I read the readings and see where they take me in exploring areas and avenues for spiritual growth. Today’s readings triggered for me the issues of comparisons and imitation - C I.

CI  INDEX

So there is something called one’s C I Index - because I’m making one up now for this homily.

It goes like this.

Write down 5 people you have compared yourself to?  And write down the names of 5 people you have imitated.

That’s it. Index them. List them. Name them.

Then looking at those 10 names - what does each person tell you about yourself.  There can be duplicates - the same name on both lists - and if there are - then those duplicate names get more weight - and hopefully more consideration - what they are telling you about yourself.

In doing this, I would also hope,  one  begins to think about people we don’t want to be like - people we don’t want to imitate. That information, that realization, would also help us to understand ourselves and our life and our interaction with each other better.

TODAY’S READINGS

So the idea for this homily comes from today’s readings.

At least that’s how I’m justifying it - in case this sermon is a bomb.

In the first reading Elisha the prophet follows Elijah the prophet. [1 Kings 19: 16b, 19-21]

Reading the Books of Kings we’ll find out how Elisha imitates Elijah and we also find out how both differ from the false prophets of Baal and other religions.

So there they are:  comparisons and imitations.

In the second reading - [Galatians 5:1, 13-18] - we have stuff from Paul the apostle - who became who he became - first by being an imitator of the Pharisees and religious fanatics - and righteous religious folks. That was his first life - when he was Saul.

Then that didn’t work - because he was killing and persecuting others -Christians - as well as his own spirit in the process.

In doing that, he fell on his face.

In time, he realizes he was blind. He hears a voice from  Christ who says, “You’re killing me - by killing my disciples.”

Then this Christ says to Paul that he can raise this Paul from his chaos - and his deadly way of doing life.

Then when Paul started to become a Christian,  he realized by comparisons that he differed from other Christians.

He realized that he differed from Peter - and then challenged Peter.  

Paul changed - but in our conversions and changes - we bring our baggage and our brains with us.

Eureka - this is how life works.

We compare ourselves to our brothers and sisters - to other kids in the classroom and on the playground. We imitate the other folks. That’s how we learn to speak and to eat.  I saw this loud and clear last week at the Vacation Bible. Moms or grandparents would come in around 10 to 12 to pick up their kids - but a show would be going on - kids singing and dancing - and their little brothers and sisters would be watching and some would start imitating what they were seeing.

Comparisons and imitation…. Watch little kids come up the line with their parents for communion. Little two year olders reach out for communion or say, “I want some!”

If we want to make our life work - and become better and better - we need to check out our baggage and our brains, our patterns and our ways to doing things. Whom are we imitating?  We learn from comparisons - and we learn from those whom we interact with - bump into  - do life with. Life contains a lot of déjà vu.

THIS HOMILY - SO FAR VAGUE - BUT TRYING TO BECOME SPECIFIC

I’ve heard mothers say, “When I started to have kids, I realized I didn’t know how to be a mother.”

“Sorry, I guess I wasn’t watching my mother when she was mothering.”

I didn’t get that at first, but I heard it enough to start thinking about it.

Then a mom would say to me, “I watched my sister-in-law - how she was as a mother and I realized some tricks of the trade. I tried imitating what I liked she was doing and some of the tricks worked.

Others said they saw some moms and by comparison - they said to themselves, “I know I don’t want to be like that.”

Then some said, “Kids are different! You gotta know that and try different tricks of the trade.”

To be honest I didn’t hear this enough from dads - on questions of how to be a dad.

Then I realized I was doing the same as priest. I watched how some priests preached and how some dealt with people. I watched how some priests and other people treated parishioners or waiters and waitresses at restaurants and I saw what I liked and what I didn’t like.

Surprise! I was learning by comparison and Imitation or non-Imitation on how to be a Christian and a good human being  and how to avoid the opposite.

My second rector was a Father Joseph McManus - buried in our back yard at St. Mary’s on Duke of Gloucester Street. I like to go to his grave from time to time and say, “Thank you, Joe for all that you taught me. And thank you for being such a good priest.” He was my boss in San Alfonso Retreat House, Long Branch New Jersey. He was very different from my first boss - in my first assignment, Most Holy Redeemer, New York City - Lower East Side. G.  was good, but he could be gruff - and I wiggled my jaw back and forth at times seeing that. Where did I learn that trick from - shifting my lower jaw - when I don’t like? Was I imitating someone? I haven’t figured that one out yet.

One time G’s brother said to me, “How’s my brother doing as your boss?”  I paused and said something. Then his brother said the following about his brother the priest. “Let me tell you something about G. He has a tough personality and we always said that he made the most of a bad personality - when he became a priest.”  That was helpful - very helpful - and I became a lot less hard on him.

I learned from Joe, the second guy, some positive tricks of the trade. 

For example, “When you get a new assignment, keep your mouth shut and don’t try to make any changes for at least a year and a day.”

I’ve noticed that some new bosses and new people try to make changes immediately - maybe to prove to others they have arrived and they are in charge or have talents or what have you.

I don’t know which is the better path, but by comparison and imitation - I know I have learned what I have learned. I prefer the wait and see model.

I think of this when it comes to re-marriages and being a step-parent. “Do I speak up or step back or what have you - till I have earned my presence around here?”

I think of this when a teacher is hired in a new school or how a teacher does his or her first day and first week of school.

I assume this is an issue with a new coach or manager or public official.

I assume both have their merits - and each of us has to be our best. I’m only saying that awareness of what we’re doing is a key reality.

Joe also taught me that on hospital calls, it’s the people around the bed -who are more important than the person in the bed. Those are the ones he was very concerned about.  Other priests don’t see it like that. So….

OKAY, IS THAT ENOUGH?

I got to this point in my homily and thought I asked some key questions.

Was this popcorn?  Was this stuff for the people in the benches today or for the person in the pulpit?

It was for you,  if during this homily you are sitting here thinking about who the key people in your life are - and how they taught you by rubbing off on you - or rubbing you the wrong way.

It was for you, if you are sitting here thinking about people in your life, whom you know - whom you wanted to be like or didn’t want to be like.

If was for you, if you are sitting here realizing you’ve been like Saint Paul whom we hear almost every Sabbath in a second reading. You’ve changed in life. You’ve learned in life. You were tough and then you became more tender.  You learned that Paul figured out it’s very simple: even though we sometimes have a milk can full of snakes in our soul - we can be hissing within too, too often - biting each other, and that can poison us - but we realized this doesn’t have to continue. Today he told us, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

It was for you, if you learned from Jesus that he -  like Paul - is calling us to follow him, imitate us, and enough with the excuses - like one of these days - or I’m still dealing with the death of my father or my mother - or a loved one. Instead put your hand to the plow and plant the kingdom of God where your standing - where you are. [Cf. today’s gospel: Luke 9:51-62]

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “CI Index: Comparisons and Imitation.”

This week - if you take the time to jot down 5 people whom you compare yourself to - brother, sister, co-worker, neighbor, boss, public figure, then if you index them, you can come up with some good information - on how you got to be who you are so far.

This week, if you take the time to index 5 people whom you are imitating or definitely not imitating, you also have some information for your consideration and prayer or what have you. If you are married, and you do this kind of stuff with your spouse, go for it.