There was an experiment done by educator Ken Robinson. Robinson describes the experiment where 10 people are brought into a room. 9 out of the 10 are “plants,” or part of the experiment. The other individual is the one being tested. The experimenter asks a simple question about which lines on an overhead match. The answer is totally obvious. The nine “plants” then give the wrong answer and, lo and behold, the majority of the lone subjects will go along with the rest of the group and also give the wrong answer.
This phenomenon is called “groupthink.” It’s crazy, but it is unfortunately common. That is, we do something because “everyone else” does it. Lots of us have what is called “The Disease to Please.” I certainly have suffered with that. There is a great book that explains how to deal with it . . . by the same title DISEASE TO PLEASE. Check it out online.
Of course, we all would agree that it is not right. But how many of us are willing to do something about it, or to change the behavior? I believe that it comes down to INTEGRITY. That is, doing the right thing . . . even when it is not the popular thing.
Mahatma Gandhi, said, “It's easy to stand with the crowd. It takes courage to stand alone.”
A wonderful role model for us is Pope Francis. He is a man of integrity. Of all the great things that Pope Francis has been doing, the most impactful has been his fighting against what is called CLERICALISM. Clericalism comes from the word cleric, or ordained. It occurs when, or as, we priests feel that we are better than others, or that we don’t have to be held by the same accountability as everyone.
Pope Francis has always been critical of clericalism. He shows no favorites. The most obvious example is the resignation of Archbishop John Neinstadt from the St. Paul/Mpls Archdiocese this past week. It is not clear if Archbishop Neinstedt resigned on his own, or if Pope Francis pressured him into stepping down. What is clear is that Pope Francis has been doing what others Popes have NOT been doing, or even what most Church Leaders have NOT been doing . . . that is, to put a stop to the “good ole boys” mentally and allow criminal priests to remain in parishes. Of all the things that Archbishop Neinstedt said, the most telling for me was when he resigned. He said that he leaves with a clear conscience. I say, “Children were abused . . . how can anyone have a clear conscience?”
The sexual scandal has been going on for 15 years in the public eye. We in the Church simply cannot “go along with what has been happening” with these crimes. Pope Francis has been a man of integrity. He has set the stage for all of us to follow.
So let’s look at the gospel reading. The disciples are in a storm and they are doing what everyone else does . . . that is, freak out. Probably most of us would do the same. But the huge invitation for the disciples (which they miss) is to trust Jesus. Heck, Jesus is with them. They could have, chosen NOT to follow the norm and reacted differently.
Well, all of us have felt that our lives have been caught in storms. And we do what most expect and do . . . we panic or freak out . . . or we worry or feel so alone. But what we are invited to do, and to be different. We are invited to be people of integrity. We are invited to trust Jesus. That is, to believe that no matter how stormy or bleak life seems. Christ will not let us drown. Christ invites us to calm down, trust him.
The bible never once says, “Figure it out” but over and over it says, “Trust God”
Mark Twain wrote, “Humans says, ‘Show me, then I’ll trust you.’
God says, ‘Trust me and I’ll show you.’