Woe Is We
Sermon
Life Injections II
Further Connections Of Scripture To The Human Experience
"Woe to you when all speak well of you ..."
A list of provisions necessary before people can speak well of you.
If I were to take a poll here today, I would assume that each and every one of you would consider it important that people think well of you, that people look upon you favorably, that people see you in a positive light. That being the case, where do we stand in light of that line in today's Gospel: "Woe to you when all speak well of you!" It's my belief that we stand up well but only if we meet certain criteria. First of all, people can speak well of us but it better not be because we didn't want to look strange or different or out of the ordinary.
One of the memorable scenes in an English novel of some years ago describes how a little boy named Bron goes to church for the first time with his governess. He watches with interest every part of the service. The preacher then climbs up into the high pulpit and Bron hears him deliver a piece of terrible news. It's about a brave and kind man who was nailed to a cross, ferociously hurt a long time ago, who feels a dreadful pain even now because there was so much needing to be done in regard to his teaching. Little Bron thinks the preacher is telling the story so the people in the pews will rise up and take up the cause.
The service ends and to Bron's shock and surprise the people walk away as if they had not heard such terrible news, as if there was nothing that demanded their attention. As Bron leaves the church, he's found to be crying and, when his governess discovers the reason, she says: "You shouldn't have taken all that the preacher said to heart! Quit your crying. People are going to think you strange!"
Here we have a boy expressing his feelings. We have a boy being bothered by something that he should be bothered about. We have a boy caught up in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And if truth be told, the governess was right. The people would have thought him strange had they seen him crying and carrying on.
The sad thing is that many people are much like that boy. They get emotional when they see something wrong. The apathy of the people around them is upsetting. They are very much concerned that the gospel isn't being lived out in the way it should be. But because of their fear of looking strange, because they crave the approval of their peers, their emotion is turned off and their concerns are kept to themselves. If that's what we do so we might be spoken well of by others, then that line from the Gospel was meant for us: "Woe is we!"
The second thing to keep in mind is that people can speak well of us but it better not be a front or facade that belies a truth.
The Oscar-winning movie Ordinary People centered around two brothers, one of whom died tragically while they were both out sailing. The brother that survived encountered all sorts of problems as he struggled to compete with the memory of the one who died, the one who was labeled a hero by just about everyone who knew him. At one point, he quit the high school swim team, and when word of that reached his mother, she grew angry and upset. Upon confronting her son, it becomes clear that the anger over his quitting centered around her image in the eyes of the swimming team moms. The fact that her son's inner turmoil was responsible for his quitting was immaterial. Looking good in the eyes of others took precedence over his hell.
There are a lot of people like that mother. There are flaws within their life, or problems within their family. There is an immensity of personal issues needing to be resolved. But, for the sake of being spoken well of by others, all of that is securely hidden and never touched because to do otherwise might mean counseling or therapy or an AA meeting, any of which might give the impression that they're not as good or as wholesome or as "all together" as people think they are. If that's what's behind our being spoken well of by others, then the line of the Gospel was meant for us: "Woe is we!"
The third thing to keep in mind is that people can speak well of us but it better not be for want of our saying what needs to be said.
Dr. Bernie Siegel talks about healing and specifically about the immune system that is responsible for healing. He notes that patients who speak their minds, patients who ask questions, patients who tend to not fit the hospital mold fare a lot better and heal a lot faster than those who are docile, very compliant, and very leery of saying anything or doing anything that might upset a physician or nurse. Siegel has found, and studies have verified, that there's a direct correlation between an active immune system and a negative opinion of a patient by a health care professional.
Siegel isn't suggesting therefore that you need to act like a tyrant when you come to the hospital. He's merely suggesting that if we're suppressing our true feelings, if we're holding back on asking questions, if we're generally being cooperative only so that doctors and nurses might think well of us, that kind of behavior can be hazardous to our health.
I believe a similar case can be had for other roles assumed in life. Whether it be our work role or our family role or our social role, if we're into pleasing everybody, if we're into not wanting to upset anybody even though we know there are many things that are not right, it doesn't bode well for our mental health. You might therefore say that if we want to heal or we want to stay healthy it would mean that we have to take the chance of saying or doing something that might incur the displeasure of the people around us. If we're unwilling to do that, then the line from the Gospel is meant for us: "Woe is we!"
The fourth thing to keep in mind is that people can think well of us but it better not come at the cost of our individuality.
In the blockbuster movie Titanic, lead character Rose is so troubled by her need to behave like royalty and so maddened by the need to assume the life and manners of the rich and famous that she's driven to jump off the ship. It's then that Jack steps in to rescue her. From there the plot unfolds.
There are many people like Rose who find their life being directed and orchestrated by powers other than themselves, who feel the need to be and act according to the social peer group to which they happen to be assigned. In that sort of climate, there is little room for being other than what people want and expect them to be. Rose reacted against such pressure but many don't. They're content to sacrifice their individuality for the sake of the approval of their peers. So if getting people to think well of us means never being the unique and special person God made us to be, then that line from today's Gospel was meant for us: "Woe is we!"
The fifth thing to keep in mind is that people can think well of us but it better not be the result of an attempt to gain an advantage.
Malcom Muggeridge was sitting one day at an open-air cafe in Vienna, Austria. A fellow journalist was talking to him, openly lamenting to Muggeridge that there were times when he feared that he might not be "licking the right boots." In writing of that conversation, Muggeridge said: "Isn't it sad how some people will strive to gain the approval and acclaim of others, how they'll cultivate friendships and develop relationships solely with the hope that they can use that approval or that friendship or that relationship for their own advantage." So if getting people to think well of us is just a game, if it's something we've sought because it might be good for our career or it might provide an edge on some business venture, then the line of the Gospel was meant for us: "Woe is we!"
The sixth and last thing to keep in mind is that people can think well of us but it better not have come at the cost of an idea or plan or venture not seeing the light of day.
One of the saddest and more tragic stories from the history of medicine involved Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician who suspected, but could not prove, that infection was contagious. He thus instructed and insisted that the doctors who worked under him wash their hands between each and every visit of a patient whether she be in the maternity ward or the morgue. When word of that thought and practice reached the wider medical community, they laughed; they thought him crazed. He kept up the practice nonetheless and many mothers' lives were saved. It took the rest of the medical community several years before they accepted the importance and the necessity of washing their hands.
It isn't easy moving in a new direction or charting a new course in the profession or job we've chosen to perform. The move is sure to incur the same ridicule, the same resistance, the same disapproval experienced by that Hungarian doctor. Unfortunately, many a new idea, many a discovery, many better and safer and more healthful ways of doing things have never seen the light of day because those who possessed that knowledge kept it to themselves for fear that its revelation could hurt their professional standing and generate criticism from their colleagues and peers. If people are thinking well of us because we don't have the courage to walk a path never walked before, then the line of the Gospel was meant for us: "Woe is we!"
The entire Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount, has Jesus telling us how blessed are certain ways of being and acting that are sure to meet with disapproval when it comes to the rest of society. Jesus also stated what I've been quoting for the past ten minutes: "Woe to you when all speak well of you!" Put it all together and it would appear that it would be best if people never thought well of us.
I happen to disagree! I believe that people can speak and think well of us but that's provided that we haven't sacrificed our individuality, that's provided that we're not holding back on feelings we should be expressing. People can think and speak well of us but that's provided that it's not a game to gain an advantage, that it's not coming to the detriment of our immune system. People can speak well of us but that's provided that we haven't had to suppress an idea or thought to do so. If those provisions aren't in place and people think well of us, then it can be said: "Woe is we!"
A list of provisions necessary before people can speak well of you.
If I were to take a poll here today, I would assume that each and every one of you would consider it important that people think well of you, that people look upon you favorably, that people see you in a positive light. That being the case, where do we stand in light of that line in today's Gospel: "Woe to you when all speak well of you!" It's my belief that we stand up well but only if we meet certain criteria. First of all, people can speak well of us but it better not be because we didn't want to look strange or different or out of the ordinary.
One of the memorable scenes in an English novel of some years ago describes how a little boy named Bron goes to church for the first time with his governess. He watches with interest every part of the service. The preacher then climbs up into the high pulpit and Bron hears him deliver a piece of terrible news. It's about a brave and kind man who was nailed to a cross, ferociously hurt a long time ago, who feels a dreadful pain even now because there was so much needing to be done in regard to his teaching. Little Bron thinks the preacher is telling the story so the people in the pews will rise up and take up the cause.
The service ends and to Bron's shock and surprise the people walk away as if they had not heard such terrible news, as if there was nothing that demanded their attention. As Bron leaves the church, he's found to be crying and, when his governess discovers the reason, she says: "You shouldn't have taken all that the preacher said to heart! Quit your crying. People are going to think you strange!"
Here we have a boy expressing his feelings. We have a boy being bothered by something that he should be bothered about. We have a boy caught up in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And if truth be told, the governess was right. The people would have thought him strange had they seen him crying and carrying on.
The sad thing is that many people are much like that boy. They get emotional when they see something wrong. The apathy of the people around them is upsetting. They are very much concerned that the gospel isn't being lived out in the way it should be. But because of their fear of looking strange, because they crave the approval of their peers, their emotion is turned off and their concerns are kept to themselves. If that's what we do so we might be spoken well of by others, then that line from the Gospel was meant for us: "Woe is we!"
The second thing to keep in mind is that people can speak well of us but it better not be a front or facade that belies a truth.
The Oscar-winning movie Ordinary People centered around two brothers, one of whom died tragically while they were both out sailing. The brother that survived encountered all sorts of problems as he struggled to compete with the memory of the one who died, the one who was labeled a hero by just about everyone who knew him. At one point, he quit the high school swim team, and when word of that reached his mother, she grew angry and upset. Upon confronting her son, it becomes clear that the anger over his quitting centered around her image in the eyes of the swimming team moms. The fact that her son's inner turmoil was responsible for his quitting was immaterial. Looking good in the eyes of others took precedence over his hell.
There are a lot of people like that mother. There are flaws within their life, or problems within their family. There is an immensity of personal issues needing to be resolved. But, for the sake of being spoken well of by others, all of that is securely hidden and never touched because to do otherwise might mean counseling or therapy or an AA meeting, any of which might give the impression that they're not as good or as wholesome or as "all together" as people think they are. If that's what's behind our being spoken well of by others, then the line of the Gospel was meant for us: "Woe is we!"
The third thing to keep in mind is that people can speak well of us but it better not be for want of our saying what needs to be said.
Dr. Bernie Siegel talks about healing and specifically about the immune system that is responsible for healing. He notes that patients who speak their minds, patients who ask questions, patients who tend to not fit the hospital mold fare a lot better and heal a lot faster than those who are docile, very compliant, and very leery of saying anything or doing anything that might upset a physician or nurse. Siegel has found, and studies have verified, that there's a direct correlation between an active immune system and a negative opinion of a patient by a health care professional.
Siegel isn't suggesting therefore that you need to act like a tyrant when you come to the hospital. He's merely suggesting that if we're suppressing our true feelings, if we're holding back on asking questions, if we're generally being cooperative only so that doctors and nurses might think well of us, that kind of behavior can be hazardous to our health.
I believe a similar case can be had for other roles assumed in life. Whether it be our work role or our family role or our social role, if we're into pleasing everybody, if we're into not wanting to upset anybody even though we know there are many things that are not right, it doesn't bode well for our mental health. You might therefore say that if we want to heal or we want to stay healthy it would mean that we have to take the chance of saying or doing something that might incur the displeasure of the people around us. If we're unwilling to do that, then the line from the Gospel is meant for us: "Woe is we!"
The fourth thing to keep in mind is that people can think well of us but it better not come at the cost of our individuality.
In the blockbuster movie Titanic, lead character Rose is so troubled by her need to behave like royalty and so maddened by the need to assume the life and manners of the rich and famous that she's driven to jump off the ship. It's then that Jack steps in to rescue her. From there the plot unfolds.
There are many people like Rose who find their life being directed and orchestrated by powers other than themselves, who feel the need to be and act according to the social peer group to which they happen to be assigned. In that sort of climate, there is little room for being other than what people want and expect them to be. Rose reacted against such pressure but many don't. They're content to sacrifice their individuality for the sake of the approval of their peers. So if getting people to think well of us means never being the unique and special person God made us to be, then that line from today's Gospel was meant for us: "Woe is we!"
The fifth thing to keep in mind is that people can think well of us but it better not be the result of an attempt to gain an advantage.
Malcom Muggeridge was sitting one day at an open-air cafe in Vienna, Austria. A fellow journalist was talking to him, openly lamenting to Muggeridge that there were times when he feared that he might not be "licking the right boots." In writing of that conversation, Muggeridge said: "Isn't it sad how some people will strive to gain the approval and acclaim of others, how they'll cultivate friendships and develop relationships solely with the hope that they can use that approval or that friendship or that relationship for their own advantage." So if getting people to think well of us is just a game, if it's something we've sought because it might be good for our career or it might provide an edge on some business venture, then the line of the Gospel was meant for us: "Woe is we!"
The sixth and last thing to keep in mind is that people can think well of us but it better not have come at the cost of an idea or plan or venture not seeing the light of day.
One of the saddest and more tragic stories from the history of medicine involved Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician who suspected, but could not prove, that infection was contagious. He thus instructed and insisted that the doctors who worked under him wash their hands between each and every visit of a patient whether she be in the maternity ward or the morgue. When word of that thought and practice reached the wider medical community, they laughed; they thought him crazed. He kept up the practice nonetheless and many mothers' lives were saved. It took the rest of the medical community several years before they accepted the importance and the necessity of washing their hands.
It isn't easy moving in a new direction or charting a new course in the profession or job we've chosen to perform. The move is sure to incur the same ridicule, the same resistance, the same disapproval experienced by that Hungarian doctor. Unfortunately, many a new idea, many a discovery, many better and safer and more healthful ways of doing things have never seen the light of day because those who possessed that knowledge kept it to themselves for fear that its revelation could hurt their professional standing and generate criticism from their colleagues and peers. If people are thinking well of us because we don't have the courage to walk a path never walked before, then the line of the Gospel was meant for us: "Woe is we!"
The entire Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount, has Jesus telling us how blessed are certain ways of being and acting that are sure to meet with disapproval when it comes to the rest of society. Jesus also stated what I've been quoting for the past ten minutes: "Woe to you when all speak well of you!" Put it all together and it would appear that it would be best if people never thought well of us.
I happen to disagree! I believe that people can speak and think well of us but that's provided that we haven't sacrificed our individuality, that's provided that we're not holding back on feelings we should be expressing. People can think and speak well of us but that's provided that it's not a game to gain an advantage, that it's not coming to the detriment of our immune system. People can speak well of us but that's provided that we haven't had to suppress an idea or thought to do so. If those provisions aren't in place and people think well of us, then it can be said: "Woe is we!"
