(Is 35:4-7a; Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10; Jas 2:1-5; Mk 7:31-37)
Why are we so obsessed with image? In this age of the “#selfie”, we are so consumed with the image we uphold – how we look, where we go, what we do. So often on social media we see pictures of ourselves traveling the world, doing super cool things, getting fit in the gym, or just eating a great plate of sushi in a restaurant. But the constant is that we’re snapping that picture of us – ourselves – with other stuff in the background..
Now, we may want to share our travels or our accomplishments with others out of love because it is such a great experience and we want others to share in the joy – and I’ve posted numerous selfies along with family photos in great location doing fun stuff. I’m definitely not against posting photos on things like Facebook, Twitter, and the like. But all too often I wonder if it is too much? Have we gotten too consumed with the self – and I wonder if this selfie culture we live in is making us all even more self-loving in an already selfish society? We’re putting our own self before others.
But yet we’re attracted to the images of others – celebrities, models, people who are extremely thin and fit, and all the other beautiful people. And when we consume ourselves with the idea of that beautiful image – we too want to have an image like that. We don’t want to be associated with the average, or the people on the margins of society. We may not come out and say it, but our actions and what and whom we idolize in society today speak for themselves, or should I say ourselves.
We become so focused on the self and the image of those who we want to be nice to, and then we overlook those who don’t fit the image. The homeless, the overweight, the slow, and the average. We overlook the person who sits in a cube all day quietly doing their work and are attracted to the people in power. Or we exclude those in the parish who may not know as much about our faith, or may not be in a certain clique, or may not do things the way we’ve always done them in a particular ministry.
They don’t fit the image.
James talks about this in the second reading today, and its such a good reading with such an important message, I am including here it is in its entirety:
My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please, ” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there, ” or “Sit at my feet, ” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?
Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?
Hmm… Looks like this has always been an issue. But it’s even more amplified today with social media and technology. With tools that are intended to help us become closer, often I think these same tools also isolate us and unfortunately help to portray the wrong images for people to see, and subsequently emulate.
Soon we feel it’s only accepted to be thin and fit. It’s only accepted to show pictures of you at the bar, rather than a video of a dad and son playing baseball. It’s only accepted to be non-religious. It’s only accepted to be funny and superficial, rather than deep and philosophical. It’s only accepted to have an opinion only if it matches the opinion of others. We fail to talk about and share about substance and instead only care about what is the accepted image. Look deep down. We all fall into this trap, whether its online, or out in the world.
I think all too often the tools that were meant to bring us together so many times push us further away and foster even more callous partiality, distinction, judgment and resentment towards one another. We become part of the image, whether we know it or not. We become deaf to the world around us. We become blind to the good images around us. The images that matter of God’s work being done in today’s world.
This is what James was warning us against in today’s second reading. He warned us against showing favoritism, especially towards ourselves, because God shows no favoritism. He even showed no favoritism towards His Son. In Isaiah today, it speaks of the coming of the Messiah, the One that will save us all – not only the Israelites in exile, but also all of us today through Jesus.
Jesus suffered for us at the will of His Father, and through His teachings and the salvation He has provided, our ears can be opened and we can speak Gods love to all, just as he did for the deaf man in todays Gospel. This is the image we must uphold, and this is the image we must strive to emulate – because this is the image that will not fade. It will only get clearer with age.
Humility is the key. Knowing that it is not all about us. As a matter of fact, very little is about us. The only thing that is about us is that we make the choice. And in making humble choices – how we dress and portray ourselves, what we choose to do to ourselves, who we choose to admire, who we choose to love and who we choose to dismiss – all of this speaks to our character and what we see as important. And all too often, we choose to promote our own image and images of others that fit with what we desire.
Think about that the next time you post something online, or choose the people you associate with, or even when you’re sitting in Mass. Jesus came so that we could put a human face, a human image on God. And it’s in the image of Jesus where we can truly be opened to hear and speak the truth. This is the only image we need to uphold.
