Extra Chairs

Using our critical thinking to follow Jesus  

Luke 12:1-7  

At that time: So many people were crowding together  that they were trampling one another underfoot. Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees. “There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.   

          Have you ever heard of the phenomenon called “the herd mentality”? Put simply, it is following the crowd, the majority of people, instead of critically thinking and carefully deciding what path to follow for yourself. Several years ago, I read a book called The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, where he explained that, “ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread like viruses do.” That is, by person to person contact. I have personally been both blessed and burned by the herd mentality here in Fort Smith. When I first arrived as the new kid in town, all the Catholics came here for Mass and we had to put out extra chairs. Now, I’m yesterday’s news, and everyone goes to Barling for Mass, and they have to put out extra chairs. I wonder where our “roaming Catholics” will end up tomorrow. That’s the herd mentality spreading like a virus.   

          Over and against this herd mentality stands the poetry of Robert Frost, who wrote these unforgettable lines: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” In the poem a traveler comes to a fork in the road and must choose one or the other. One is well-worn with traffic, the other is hardly touched. The uncritical crowds take the well-traveled road; Robert Frost recommends the other one. Archbishop Fulton Sheen often said: “Dead fish float down stream; it takes live fish to fight the current.” You can go with the crowd, or you can go against the current.   

          In the gospel today we see Jesus’ popularity on the rise, as if he were the new pastor in Fort Smith and all the roaming Catholics are running out to see and hear him. The gospel records: “At that time: so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot.” In other words, Jesus had to put out extra chairs for the over-flow crowds. But notice what Jesus preaches that day: a very challenging message. He says, “There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be made known.” Just think of all the things we say and do in private being broadcast on the evening news! In other words, Jesus says in effect, don’t follow me because everyone else is doing it. But think critically and choose carefully which path to pursue. And of course, when Jesus preached his final sermon from the Cross, only a handful heard it. The dead fish had already floated down stream, and no one needed any extra chairs.   

          My friends, here are a few helpful hints for fighting the herd mentality. First, have a healthy suspicion whenever you see people chasing after the latest fad or fashion: the newest Iphone, the most vogue hairstyle, the coolest clothes, the trendiest restaurants. You’ll save a lot of money not being part of the herd. Two, always ask the question “Why?” Why should I watch this T.V. program? Why is he telling me this information? Why am I going to Mass in Barling? And third, don’t settle for sound-bites or headlines. Take time to read the whole article, the entire book, and then reflect on what you read. Think critically and choose carefully.   

          Here’s the entire last stanza of Frost’s poem: “I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”  

 

          Praised be Jesus Christ!