COMPARISONS BREED CONTEMPT

 

                            THIRTIETH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings

1. Sir 35: 12-14, 16-19
2. II Tim 4: 6-8, 16-18
3. Lk 18: 9-14

 You are incomparable. You are unique. Don’t kill your joy by comparing yourself to other people. “Comparison is the death of joy,” said Mark Twain. Moreover, comparisons are odious. They inspire hatred, contempt, holier-than-you attitude, and offensive words. “When the Lord makes it clear you’re to follow Him in this new direction, focus fully on Him and refuse to be distracted by comparisons with others,” said Charles R. Swindoll. Dillon Burroughs put it nicely: “The problem with comparison is that you always feel either better than someone else or worthless compared to someone else.”

 Throw away a stone of comparisons. Comparisons are extremely unpleasant. They cause and deserve hate. Your yardstick should be Jesus not human beings. The Pharisee in the parable of the tax collector and the pharisee compared was a man of comparisons. “The  Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get” (Luke 18: 11-12).  On comparing yourself to others Michael D. Yapko had this to say in his book Free Yourself from Depression, “You are unique, trite as that may sound, and measuring yourself against others distracts you from the more immediate tasks – identifying specific experiences you need to have and skills you need to learn to move forward with your life. There will always be people a little better and a little worse than you; the most important task you have is to develop yourself as fully as possible.”  “Comparison is an act of violence against the self,” said Lyanla Vanzant.

 

Directing our attention to the Pharisee we discover a number of stones he needed to throw away. The first stone the Pharisee was holding is a stone of contempt.  Saint John Chrysostom had this to say: “To despise the whole race of man was not enough for him; he must yet attack the Publican. He would have sinned, yet far less if he had spared the Publican, but now in one word he both assails the absent, and inflicts a wound on him who was present. To give thanks is not to heap reproaches on others. When you return thanks to God, let Him be all in all to you. Turn not your thoughts to men, nor condemn your neighbor.”

 

The second stone the Pharisee was holding is the-holier than you attitude. He said I am not like other men. This can be put in other words “I am righteous, the rest are sinners.” The third stone the Pharisee was holding is the stone of insult. He insulted the one who asked.  On this St. Augustine had this to say, “If you look into his words, you will find that he asked nothing of God. He goes up indeed to pray, but instead of asking God, praises himself; and even insults him that asked.”

 

The fourth stone the Pharisee was holding is the stone of comparison. In life there is no mathematical equality but proportional equality. The fingers are not equal. A certain man was complaining about the cooking. He said to his wife, “You don’t cook well like my mother.” The wife responded you don’t earn a lot of money like my father.” Comparisons are extremely unpleasant. “Envy is ever joined with the comparing of a man’s self; and where there is no comparison, no envy,” said Sr. Francis Baconn(English lawyer and philosopher). Comparisons breed jealousy. “Jealousy is the fear of comparison,” said Max Frisch.