At the end of an art class the teacher lined up our final projects on the chalkboard and began publicly critiquing them. When she got to mine, she spared no praise. The juxtaposition of imagery, exquisite use of pencils, and keen eye for detail had well captured the snapshot taped in the bottom right hand corner. You could practically hear my ego expanding.

The next piece critiqued was from the class clown. Jane’s rendition of her parents was horrible. Unable to keep my opinions to myself, and having ascended to the position of at least equality with my teacher, I blurted out, ‘Jane! Your drawing makes it look like your mother has no arms.’ Crickets. Why weren’t people laughing? You guessed it. Jane’s mother had no arms.

Believe it or not, in Sunday’s Gospel we hear an even worse gaffe.  St. Peter, who had become the first person to correctly name Jesus as Messiah, figured this great wisdom had earned him a platform of equality with his Master. But his attempt to correct his Lord failed miserably when Jesus answered, ‘Get behind me Satan!’

Peter’s superior acumen got him to the head of the class, just like ours does.

Peter’s inflated view of his accomplishment put him in the doghouse, just like ours does.

Yet this message goes deeper than just, ‘Watch your tongue and be humble!’ and asks us to ponder where our superior acumen comes from and what our responsibilities toward it really are.

Last Sunday we talked about seeing God in the inconveniences, surprises, headaches, and hassles of our lives. This week it’s as if Jesus also wants us to see Him in the prizes, promotions, accomplishments, and pinnacles we reach. Both are occasions to meet God and grow in relationship, yet how often we run to God for help - but fail, like the parable of the 10 cleansed lepers, to return to the Lord when we’re blessed? Yes, a blessing can actually be a tripping hazard.

We figure that our blessings were not given to us so that we can forget God, but so we might enjoy them, give thanks for them, and share them.

So we ask, what great thing has happened to us lately? Have we spent an inordinate amount of time patting ourselves on the back and pondering its rewards? Have we asked those deeper questions of, ‘Why did you give me this and how might I cope with it? What are my responsibilities with this gift? Can you remind me that, like every other gift, it has less to do with my work than Your love for me?

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Reading
Theodore Rex – Edmund Morris
Evolution of the Word – Marcus Borg

Made to Stick – Chip and Dan Heath