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While
Jesus was still speaking, a crowd approached and in front was one of
the Twelve, a man named Judas. He went up to Jesus to kiss him. Jesus
said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"
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Lightning
McQueen was a child prodigy of sorts in racing. He was a rookie,
but he had all the right moves and all the right stuff to become one of
the absolute greats in the sport. His goal was to win the Piston
Cup, the Grand Prix of American racing. In the movie, he is well
on the way to
getting there, but his "ego" is in the way. He is so good, he
believes, that he needs no one. He tells the media that he is a
"one man show", firing his crew chiefs, chasing away anyone who could
help him. He loves the spotlight, and really doesn't care about
anything other than himself. Even though the movie is animation,
even though the selfishness is exaggerated, one cannot escape the
feeling that this type of self-centeredness is not far from the problem
of many people, talented and otherwise, from movie stars to Nascar
racers to every day people, people who feel that they are better
than
anyone else.
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Selfishness
is a personal characteristic
that is easy for others to see, but often the person who possesses it
cannot see it or refuses to see it. It is especially harmful when
a person is very talented because such a person could do so much to
help
bring about good, but never will as long as he/she is only concerned
about him or
herself.
One of the most important people in the New Testament to study is a person that we know very little about. Jesus chose Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve, that is one of his inner circle, one whom he trusted, a person who did all of the things that an Apostle was chosen to do. He taught about the kingdom, healed the sick, and showed care to those in need, just the same as the other eleven Apostles. He was a person with talent, a person blessed, a person who could have accomplished so much. But, in the end, Judas Iscariot was to betray Jesus, hand him over to the chief priests, and finally kill himself. Inevitably, the question must be asked, "Why"? As with anyone who takes one's own life, there had to be something deeply wrong with his thinking. We do not know his inner thoughts, of course, but maybe his problem was simply that he was much too interested in himself. We are not likely to be famous race car drivers nor are we people who will betray our Savior, but the chances are that we all have a problem with selfishness. It may be part of what we are all about, part of the words we say, part of the thoughts that we think. Somehow, we have to convince ourselves that the true love that we want in this world is a love that respects ourselves as gifts of God, but also is concerned about the well-being of others. |
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THOUGHT
Do you see any selfishness in your life? Yes or no and in
what situation? What can you do about it?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, we all have talents and gifts, some of which are even
greater than others may have. Help us understand the sin of
selfishness, however, so that we might not only use the gifts that we
have in a Christian way, but at the same time recognize the importance
of others. Be with us, we pray.
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©2007 Capuchin
Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |
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