We live in a world that is made up of pyramids. We are surrounded by structures and relationships that seem to focus on one entity at the top, with more and more entities spread out below. It is how we organize ourselves to do things, and it seems to be the way the world around us organizes itself. So we have CEO’s alone at the top of organizations, managing people who in turn manage people, and so on and so on until we get to the bottom of the pyramid where the work actually gets done. Whether it is a factory or a business; a group of volunteers or a nation; a sports team or a faith group; it is the way the world we live in seem to get things done. Because we are surround by this model, immersed in structures and relationships that use this model, then we can take for granted that this is the perspective within which everything exists. And so, much of our lives, we try to elevate ourselves in that pyramid. Get higher up – maybe even reach the top. It is such a pervasive perspective that it impacts not only how we structure ourselves, but even how we think. And so, it seems quite natural to strive to climb up that pyramid.
Then, along comes Jesus, who reveals to us that perhaps God would have us see the world in a different way.
Let me give an example …. Often when someone looks at the church, it is seen as a pyramid. The Pope at the top, then the Bishops. Then there are the Priests & Deacons, the religious sisters and brothers, and then the Laity – who form the bulk of the church and form the base of the pyramid. And as an organization, it seems to be a reasonable and logical structure. Yet, it is not the way that I see the church. For I see the church as a tent in the middle of a field. And as people live out their lives toiling in the field, there comes a time when there is need of nourishment so that they can continue to do their work. So they gather in the field, and the role of the sisters and brothers is to guide you into the tent, tend your injured spirits and aching muscles, and the role of the deacons, priests, and bishops is to wait at table, nothing more, and nothing less. Our role is to nourish you, to provide you with the opportunity to spiritually recharge, to let God’s word touch you, and to awaken you to God’s spirit inside you and around you, and to feed you spiritual nourishment in the eucharist. You are the focus. We just wait at table.
Sometimes, if I am honest, I wonder if we have got the design of our churches all backwards. Because we design it with the many, looking toward the few. Or the one. Just like a pyramid. In my mind, the awesome presence of God in the millions of places and billions of experiences is out there – in the dust and dirt and rocks and water and trees and flowers and life that evidence God’s creative energies, and in the actions of those who bear the name of the Christ and live out their lives emulating the teachings of Christ. Sometimes, it seems to me that perhaps the pews in here are facing the wrong way. Maybe by facing the wrong way we miss that there is much more of God present “out there” than in here.
Now, I am not suggesting we fundamentally change the way we build churches. But I am saying that perhaps there is another way that we can see the world we live in. A view less tainted by seeing pyramids. In order to do that, we have to become aware of how the pyramid way of thinking that surrounds us is so fundamentally different than what God is challenging us to see ourselves as.
You see, you and I live in a culture of Exaltation. We see it in how we idolize certain CEO’s or politicians. We see it in the ever-growing number of award shows indulging the egos of those in film, television and music. We see it in the honours we give to students, or the “Most Successful” sales representatives, the “Most Valuable Player”, the Employee of the Month . It’s not surprising, since so many of us have been raised with the desire not only to be the best, but to be acknowledged as the best. And if we recognize begrudgingly that we’re not the best, well then, we at least want to be better than those with whom we come into contact. We want to get our own way, rather than conceding to the wishes of another. We want to be the ones noticed and thanked, and we resent it if others get the credit we think we deserve.
Why is that? Why do we feel the need to exalt ourselves – or, in the language of Jesus’ parable in the Gospel today, want the best place at table? One reason could be that we may have a feeling of being inferior to others or lack self-confidence. And so, we try to compensate by exalting ourselves. To make ourselves the focus of other’s attention. To make ourselves the focus of our attention. Perhaps we feel that it is the way that we can climb those pyramids that surround us. Well maybe it is time to look at this world in a different way. Maybe with a bit of humility.
But let’s be clear – humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.
You are a beloved daughter or son of God. The Creator of all that is, exists in a unique and intimate relationship with each one of you individually. If you allow me to slip back into pyramid thinking, then if God is at the very top of the pyramid of creation, of everything that did, does, and will exist ….. then you are already connected directly to the top. No levels to climb. No need to have other people tell you where they think you are on that pyramid …. Because even if you think less of yourself, God doesn’t think less of you. Indeed, quite to opposite. You are loved – you are cherished – by God, and have a destiny of being that close, that connected, throughout eternity. It is not about thinking less of ourselves – For God already cherishes us. Rather, it is about not spending our time and energies thinking only about ourselves. Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.
And how can we do that? Well, this summer you may feel that I am starting to sound like a broken record – but the message for me is so important that it bears repeating. We need to become more aware of the presence of God around us. To awaken ourselves to God – as St. Paul would say – within whom we live, and move, and have our being. The more we grow in our awareness of God’s love for us, the more we will grow in awareness of God’s love for others, and that will help us to start to love them, too. One of the reasons why we fight for seats at tables rather than for towels to wash others’ feet is because we struggle truly to love others. When we love someone, we want them to have the best seats, even if we sit behind them. When we love someone, we want them to be praised, well-fed, helped, and happy. And the result of this is that we indeed will grow in humility, because it’s that love that will help to foster and sustain humble thoughts and acts of loving service toward others.
You and I are vessels of clay carrying within an immense treasure. Perhaps as we come to the end of these summer days, you can take time, surrounded by Gods creation and God’s love, to ponder just how very special you are in God’s eyes. To humbly sit safely and securely in the knowledge that you are God’s beloved.