THE NEED FOR SELF KNOWLEDGE

30th Sunday C Luke 18: 9-14 10:30 10/28/07 One sunny day an elephant was taking a relaxed dip in the jungle pool. A little mouse came to edge of the pool and demanded that the elephant get out. “Why?” the elephant asked. “I’ll tell you when you get out,” the little mouse retorted. So the elephant got out and asked, “OK what is it you want?” The little mouse replied, “I just wanted to see if you were wearing a bathing suit.” Isn’t it possible that you can think that you, like the little mouse, are superior to others? Isn’t it possible that you can make yourself delusional, deceiving yourself as to the reality of who you are or what you are capable of doing? For example, have you talked yourself into thinking you are smarter than any of your family members or your fellow workers or your acquaintances? And you come off as an obnoxious know it all. Or have you deceived yourself into thinking you can solve problems better by yourself without asking others to help you which is as silly as someone refusing help out of a swamp of quicksand? How many people can be delusional about being superior to others just as the Pharisee was in our gospel story. The gospel story’s power dispels self-deception and inspires the courage of seeking true self-knowledge. The Pharisee in our gospel story was convinced that he was superior to the tax collector. O God I thank you that I am not like this tax collector, greedy, dishonest, adulterous. What can you do about these delusions of being superior to others? You can make every effort to gain true and genuine self-knowledge. As Sam Keen & Anne Valley-Fox wrote in their book, Your Mythic Journey, Self-knowledge begins with self-revelation; we don’t know who we are until we hear ourselves speaking the drama of our lives to another. In other words, Self-knowledge emerges through your interactions with others. Interactions as honest and truthful as swearing an oath on a Bible in a courtroom. Sally Hill in her book, New Clothes from Old Threads, in her meditation on the fairy tale: “East of the Sun,” says, “The self-knowledge and self-acceptance we gain from sifting through our lives also helps us to know and accept others.” Recall how Jesus bore through his disciples’ defenses with the piercing question, Who do you say I am? He of infinite knowledge sought self-knowledge through his interaction with his closest friends. John Navone in his book, The Jesus Story, says, “Your self-knowledge is an admission not only of your frailties but also of your strengths. By entering actively into Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, you will experience Jesus’ power to free you from your delusions of superiority just as birds of the air are free to swing through the reality of pink-blue skies. What you need to recognize is this: My self-knowledge determines my attitude toward others. The more you know your true self, the less you will think you are superior to others. You all have your talents and abilities. And you should never use your talents and abilities to lord it over others like a crazed tyrant. Your talents and abilities should always be placed at the service of others with the tenderness of a mother breast feeding her baby. Why not begin today to work at achieving honest self-knowledge? Realizing that the more you seek knowledge in general, the more you can grow in self-knowledge. HUMOR A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of children home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog’s duties. They use him to keep crowds back,” said one youngster. “No, said another, “he’s just for good luck.” A third child brought the argument to a close. “They use the dogs”, she said firmly, “to find the fire hydrant. THOUGHT Always strive for greater self knowledge.