People’s Opinions

Finding our peace and confidence in what God thinks of us

03/28/2018

Matthew 26:14-25 One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over. When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, "Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me." Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, "Surely it is not I, Lord?" He said in reply, "He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born." Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" He answered, "You have said so."

Today I want to teach you a little trick to lead a more tranquil and untroubled life. Nothing causes us more anxiety, heartburn and lost sleep than worrying about what other people say and do. Someone in the seminary taught me how to overcome that worry. My first day at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, I ran into a fellow who had started his fourth and final year of seminary school. We met in the hallway for a moment, and trying to make a little small talk, I said, “So, I hear this is a really great seminary.” He stared at me steadily for a second, and replied cryptically: “You know, that statement tells me a lot more about you than it does this seminary.” I kind of half-laughed thinking he was joking, and walked off. I thought to myself, “Weirdo!”

But I’ve often thought about his simple statement many times; our opinions only reveal what we think, not what the world is really like. Now, for instance, if someone says to me: “Fr. John, you are the greatest priest in the world!” I smile and think to myself: “That statement tells me a lot more about your than what kind of priest I am.” And I don’t get a big head. On the other hand, if someone complains: “Fr. John, you are the worst priest in the world!” I smile again because they have only told me something about them and nothing about me, and I don’t start crying over it. When Coach Meares praises the North Carolina Tar Heels as the greatest basketball team in college history, does that mean they really are? Or, does it mean Coach Meares has poor taste in basketball teams? But notice what I just did with that last statement suggesting he has poor taste: I said more about me than about him. If you want to lead a more tranquil and untroubled life learn this little trick about people’s opinions

Jesus employs this trick in the gospel today, and he is able to keep his peace of mind when he’s about to be betrayed. Judas agrees to sell Jesus to the Jewish authorities for thirty pieces of silver (equivalent today to about $200). But was that really the value of Jesus’ life? Not at all; Jesus life is priceless. In reality, it was the value of Judas’ soul.  Judas wasn’t selling Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, he was selling his own soul by betraying our Lord. Thirty pieces of silver was the price for Judas, not for Jesus. What we say or do says a lot more about us than it does the reality around us: that thirty pieces of silver said more about Judas than Jesus. At the Last Supper, Jesus says one of his apostles would betray him. Judas incredulously asks: “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” And Jesus replies (like my friend in the seminary): “You have said so.” In other words, your answer says more about you than you think. Jesus did not let what others said or did – not even what Judas said or did – bother him. His peace came from knowing God loved him.

Boys and girls, do other people’s comments or behavior cause you grief, heartburn or to lose sleep? Sometimes someone’s snarky comment on social media makes you feel angry and want to take revenge, so you post some equally mean comment back. But did you really say something about them, or did you really say something about yourself? I hear where you sit at lunch can cause some anxiety: whether you sit with a certain group or not. What others do, even where people sit at lunch, says more about them than about you. I hear some people say, “Trinity Junior High is a rich kids’ school!” And sometimes I hear people say: “Trinity Junior High is a poor kids’ school!” I just smile because their comments don’t say anything about Trinity, but only reveal their own opinions, which are often wide of the mark.

If we take what other people say or do too seriously, we feel we are on a roller-coaster ride: we feel great one minute because someone said something nice about us, and we grow angry or depressed the next minute because someone said something mean about us. Roller-coasters are fun for a few minutes, but that’s not a happy way to live your whole life. May I suggest you get off the roller-coaster of people’s opinions and stand on the solid ground of God’s love? Try to remember what my friend said to me in the seminary: Your opinion only says something about you, and nothing about me. And you will lead a more tranquil and untroubled life.

Praised be Jesus Christ!