Motivational Speaker

Inspiring each other to holiness

Hebrews 10:24-25

 Brothers and sisters:  We must consider how to rouse one another  to love and good works. We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.

 

Mark 4:21

 Jesus said to his disciples, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?

             One of the perennial problems all people face is motivating others to action, to inspire people to do something they would not otherwise attempt.  For instance, a young man tries to inspire a young lady to fall in love with him (I gave up on that a long time ago!).  Parents must motivate their reluctant children to eat their broccoli.  And pastors have to get their congregations to come to church.  A recent Pew Research Poll said about 30% of Catholics attend Mass on Sunday; we’re doing much better here at I.C. – we’re up to 35%!!  In fact, there’s an entire industry of “motivational speakers” to address precisely this problem.  I always remember the Saturday Night Live parody of a motivational speaker by Chris Farley, who “lived in a van down by the river.”  Of course, his life and behavior completely undermined his self-improvement speech.  How do we motivate others?

             This is exactly the question that the Letter to the Hebrews poses.  It says, “We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.”  In other words, motivation is also a Biblical motif.  In the gospel, Jesus gives us the best way to inspire others, namely, by our example.  He asks rhetorically, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?” That is, what matters most in motivating is our actions more than our words, and avoiding Chris Farley’s character who believed: “Do as I say, not as I do.”

            It’s kind of funny, but some people look at me as a motivational speaker!  A lady will come into the church office and ask, “Father John, can you come talk to my teenage son?  He’ll listen to you.”  Or, a man will come in and ask, “My wife is driving me crazy!  Will you come speak to her?”  I want to ask them: “Do I look like I live in a van down by the river???”  So, instead of trying to change the troubled teen or the wild wife, we talk about changing ourselves – both my visitor and me – so that we can be a lampstand giving light to all in the house.  You see, our example of patience, temperance, prayerfulness, cheerfulness, humility and courage do much more good than countless motivational speeches.

             I have a dear friend who doesn’t drink alcohol and she doesn’t drink coffee and she doesn’t watch Saturday Night Live.  She has motivated me to be more temperate than hundreds of theology books and thousands of fiery sermons.  Thank you for being my lampstand.  And not my motivational speaker.

            Praised be Jesus Christ!