You Lucky

Finding our honor in Jesus Christ

Philippans 3:3-8A

Brothers and sisters: We are the circumcision, we who worship through the Spirit of God, who boast in Christ Jesus and do not put our confidence in flesh, although I myself have grounds for confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he can be confident in flesh, all the more can I.  Circumcised on the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrew parentage, in observance of the law a Pharisee, in zeal I persecuted the Church, in righteousness based on the law I was blameless. But whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

            Have you ever seen the movie, “The Karate Kid”?  It’s about a young man who learns karate from a Japanese WWII veteran.  One day Daniel, the young man, discovers that Mr. Myiagi won the Medal of Honor in WWII.  As a gift, Daniel brings Mr. Myiagi a glass case made of rosewood to display his medal.  Daniel explains, “I got you this rosewood display box for your medals.  I thought it’d be nice to show them off or something.”  Mr. Myiagi answers, “Why, thank you, Daniel-sun.  But why show off?”  Daniel says, “Well, you know, wining the Medal of Honor means you’re brave and all that stuff.”  Mr. Myiagi takes Daniel’s hand and puts it on his chest, over his heart, and says, “This say you brave.”  Then looking at the medal, he says, “This say you lucky.”  Of course, I mean no disrespect to anyone who’s awarded the Medal of Honor.  But where does our honor, our bravery, our true worth derive from?

            In the first reading today, St. Paul tells the Philippians where to find honor, worthy and dignity, namely, in Jesus.  First, however, St. Paul lists all the “Medals of Honor” he had won as a Jew: being circumcised, being of the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee, and finally a persecutor of the nascent Church.  If Daniel-sun would have been a Jew, he would have made a rosewood case for St. Paul to display and show off these medals.  But here’s what St. Paul would have answered Daniel-sun: “I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”  In other words, the only true honor we have lies in Jesus, in being his follower and disciple; anything else we’ve done only means “we lucky.”

            When people ask you who you are, how do you answer them, how do you describe yourself?  Do you list the job you hold, or the letters after your name, like CEO, or MD, or PhD?  Do you boast about your ethnic identity: “I’m Irish,” “I’m German,” “I’m Polish,” or “I’m a Suth’ner and the South will rise again!”  Or do you point to the achievements of your children and grandchildren and take pride in them, because after all, as everyone knows, “the apple CAN’T fall far from the tree.”  Patting your children on the back is surreptitiously pointing to yourself.  In other words, what are all the medals of honor you’d like to display in a rosewood case?  Rather, we should memorize Phil. 3:8, and repeat daily with St. Paul, “I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”  Our only boast lies in being a disciple of Jesus, of knowing our Lord.

            Shortly after he was elected pope, a reporter asked Pope Francis, “Who is the new pope?”  Francis smiled and humbly answered, “I am a sinner.”  That is what each of us should answer as well, if we are honest and humble: we are sinners, we are followers of Jesus, stumbling behind him at best.  Anything else only means, “you lucky.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!