FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT A 7:30 & 10:30
A newly commissioned colonel had just moved into his office. A private entered. To impress the private, the colonel said, “I’ll be with you in moment, soldier. I got a phone call while you were knocking.” Picking up his phone, the colonel said, “General! How good to hear from you. How can I help you?” A dramatic pause followed. Then the colonel said, “No problem, sir. I’ll phone Washington at once and talk to the president about it.” Putting down the phone the colonel said to the private, “Now what can I do for you, Private?” The private shuffled his feet and said sheepishly, “Sir, they sent me over to hook up your phone.”
Sadly, nothing is so gratifying than to see the balloon of exaggerated self-importance punctured.
Exaggerated self-importance is an ego trip.
And this is what I want to talk about today – exaggerated self-importance. You may find this topic as exciting as the middle of a bottle of glue, but bear with me.
As you begin or have begun your preparations for Christmas, you might meditate on the God who did not cling to his importance as God, but humbled himself to become one like us in all things but sin. As St. Paul said, “Christ Jesus who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped at but emptied himself, being born in human likeness.”
In the sprawling Roman Empire, clanging with the swords of victory and overflowing with the wine of luxury, how important could the birth of a baby in a stable have been?
Our gospel story reminds you of the end time when the Son of Man will come when he is least expected. And he will come as your judge.
The feast of Christmas indicates one of the issues you will be judged on: whether or not you lived your lives filled with Christ Jesus or filled with your own egos.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen, for example, in one of his television talks made this comparison: if a box is filled with salt, it cannot be filled with pepper. So too if you are filled with your own exaggerated self-importance, how can you be filled with Christ Jesus? Exaggerated self-importance is an ego trip.
Robert Furey in his book, So I’m Not Perfect: A Psychology of Humility, points out that pride can be an exaggerated opinion of our own importance or superiority. Sounds like the colonel in our story, doesn’t it?
What people who are filled with their own exaggerated self-importance don’t realize, for example, is that egotism is the overcompensation for mediocrity. Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of insecurity. People refuse to recognize that exaggerated self-importance is a sign of inner emptiness and self-doubt.
Some of the characteristics of exaggerated self-importance are, for example, haughtiness, sarcasm, put downs and airs of disdain, arrogance and obnoxiousness.
For example, a man who abuses his wife, not necessarily physically but mentally and emotionally has a self-important ego that wants not only domination but enslavement. Exaggerated self-importance is an ego trip.
How, for example, can you meditate on the humility of the Babe of Bethlehem and persist in your exaggerated self-importance?
You may have talent oozing out of your every pore. You may have accomplishments stacked as high as Mount Everest. But as St. Paul asks, “What do you have that you have not received?” Christmas reminds you that everything you have and are is a precious gift from God.
As you continue to prepare for the Christmas feast, make every effort to fill yourself with Christ Jesus. How? By filling yourself with generosity, sensitivity, the willingness to forgive, compassion, eagerness to help others no matter how draining this is.
Christmas is not just the time for filling people’s arms with gifts; rather it is the time for renewing your efforts to fill your lives and the lives of others with Christ Jesus, born in a stable in Bethlehem.
HUMOR: There’s a cute story about a lady who made no secret of the fact that she resided on the top of the upper crust of society. She said to the kennel owner, “I want a dog I can be proud of and show off. Does this dog have a pedigree?” The man answered, “Oh, yes, if he could talk he wouldn’t speak to either of us.” Exaggerated self-importance is an ego trip.
THOUGHT: Always strive for the humilty of the Christ Child.