Homily for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

A very stern, humorless, and rather self-righteous woman was not feeling well and made an appointment to see her doctor.

The woman went into the reception area and reported to the receptionist, who had a couple of pierced earrings in each ear. The woman looked at her in disgust and said, “That’s horrible that you would pierce your ears like that.” She said, “I would never do anything like that to my body; it’s sinful.” She then went and sat down to wait for her appointment.
A couple of minutes later, a woman came into the office with her teenage son. The boy was wearing ripped jeans and a ripped t-shirt, and his hair had some blue highlights. The woman looked at him and began shaking her head. She said to the mother of the boy, “What kind of mother are you? My son would never go out in public looking like that!”

The people in the waiting room must have breathed a sigh of relief when the woman’s name was called to go in to see the doctor.

The doctor began by asking his patient some basic questions.
“Do you drink at all?”
“I never touch alcohol!” she said with great disdain.
“Do you smoke?”
“I never go near tobacco!” She was insulted by the question.
“What about your sleeping habits?”
“I go to bed early every night,” she arrogantly replied. “I have no time for late-night partying and carousing. I am a busy woman.  I am in bed by ten and up by six every morning.”

“I see,” said the doctor, making notes on the chart.  “Now exactly what’s been wrong?”
“I have been having terrible headaches,” she said.
“I think I see your problem,” the doctor said. 
“What is it?” she snapped.
The doctor said, “I believe your halo is too tight.”

While we readily laugh at the arrogance of the Pharisee and the self-righteousness of the woman in the story, it’s easier than we realize to get caught up in that same attitude. 

We all know some people are quick to criticize those whose standards don’t measure up to theirs, who immediately dismiss those they fear will intrude on their safe, protected little world.

We, too, may be caught in the trap of comparing ourselves to others, maybe even thinking we are better than others because of their looks, their personalities, or even by what they own or don’t own.

Jesus calls us to take off our “halos” and to recognize our humility before God and the humanity we share with every man, woman, and child.  The only praise we can offer worthy of our loving God is prayer that manifests itself in returning that same unconditional, limitless love to others.  We are called to recognize that no one is beneath us. Dignity doesn’t come from popularity or appearance, but from the fact that we are children of God and each one of us is made in the image of God. May we not be so taken with our own “halos” that we fail to recognize the presence of God in the lives and hearts of our fellow sinners.