Homily

In today’s epistle St. Paul writes to Timothy:

“This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first.”

Of course, we repeat that idea every Liturgy in the Prayer Before Communion. But what does it mean to say that I am the first of sinners? Does it mean that I am the biggest sinner in the world? Of course not. We live with people who are bigger sinners than we are. But it is an expression of true humility, of really knowing my place. Of all the sinners I know, I am the one I need to be concerned with first. Even before all the other sinners out there (and that means all of humanity) when it comes to dealing with sinners, I should be dealing with me first.

I saw a documentary about some incidents that happened about 10 years ago in Los Angeles. A group of teens ended up getting into 6 or 7 houses of famous people, celebrities, and stealing a bunch of their stuff. Mostly clothing, jewelry and handbags. They ended up in total stealing more than three million dollars’ worth of goods before they were caught. Although for a long time no one knew who they were, they loved the fact that their deeds were all over the news media. Of course, they didn’t make mention where these items came from, but they wore the jewelry and clothing they stole in pictures that they posted on Facebook and Instagram which was later used as evidence against them in court. The mother of one of these thieves managed to get the E! tv network interested in doing a tv reality show about her and her two daughters trying to make it as actors in Hollywood. What a surprise when the camera crew showed up for the first day’s filming and saw the police come to arrest the girl for burglary. They later re-enacted the scene of the arrest for the tv show. Mom and daughter played their roles. The show must go on.

Later on, this girl’s attorney also got in on the act and he was filmed for the tv show. A movie was made about these burglaries and, while the trial of these kids was still in court the actual investigating police officer on the case was hired as a consultant and actor for this movie. When the prosecution lawyers found this out, knew this created a great conflict of interest with the officer and it would badly damage their case using him on the witness stand. So, the city ended up settling with all the thieves for very minimal sentences rather than continuing the trials. The deputy district attorney said, “The kids wanted to be famous, the lawyers wanted to be famous, my investigating officer wanted to be famous. It was the downfall of everybody.”

One of the sensible lawyers in the end said this:

“Hollywood movie stars in the 50s and 60s—what was presented on the screen wasn’t who those people were. Hollywood has always been about showmanship, a place where people try to live out the fictional lives they have created for themselves. But now, kids can do it for themselves on the internet. How can I market myself to command other people’s attention? Attention has become the most valued commodity…This is how we end up with reality tv stars. This story is a warning that if we are not careful, we will end up in a world where the line between reality and fiction is so blurred, we will no longer be defined by who are, but who we think we have to be.”

It is indeed nice when people pay attention to us. It is nice when they compliment us or show interest in us. But I think the man is right. We have become a people obsessed with the notion of fame and celebrity. The more so-called friends we have on Facebook the better it looks for us. The more “Likes” clicked under our posts, the more important we feel. Everybody must read about Harry and Meghan because the thoughts and actions of wealthy publicity-seeking royalty latch onto our need to feel involved with famous people. The “Housewives of Atlanta” and the “Kardashians” are famous not because of anything they have done, but simply because they have reality tv shows. It doesn’t matter if what they do on their shows is genuine. Why? Because they are famous. I Googled “Kim Kardashian” and the articles about her that show up as a result are unbelievable. Here’s one: “Kim Kardashian Reportedly Doesn’t Like Kanye West’s New Wife Bianca Censori.” I didn’t click on it, but I wonder how many thousands did. And why?

A survey conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health asked 14-to-24-year-olds in the UK how social media impacted their health and wellbeing. The survey found that Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all led to increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image and loneliness. There is no doubt that social media can be useful and good but when users are more concerned about how they appear to other people than they are with simply interacting and communicating with other people, the results will never be good. And how many big news items and important social issues today are really more often about people who are seeking attention and fame?

The truth is that I am a sinner. I sin against myself, other people, and God. My sins hold me back from the fullness of life Christ wishes me to have. He became a man to save me from my sins and His grace helps me to avoid doing wrong and instead doing what is good and right, even if no one else is watching me on Facebook or following me on Twitter. He will wipe my sins away when I ask for pardon. Realizing that you are a sinner is not a value that you will see on reality tv. The best you can hope might be the phrase “I’m not proud of what I did.” But the fact that we are sinners is a genuine reality in the lives of every single person on this planet. No amount of fame or public recognition or approval can help me live a better life or heal the damage of sin or pardon my offenses. In fact, the desire for the attention of other people more often leads to pride, unhappiness, addiction and even crime.

Of all the sinners in the world, I am the first. I do need saving, not only from people and events out there, but from my own sinful thoughts, habits, and actions. But there is one Who came into the world to save sinners, Who offers us His own Body and Blood, for the healing of our souls and bodies, for the remission of sins and for life everlasting. Let’s be sure that we focus on Him today especially at this hour. He is present here for us.