“Just Who Do You Think You Are?”

At our men’s Bible study this morning some of the guys were talking about Fr Mike Schmitz’s Bible In A Year podcast, and though I haven’t been tuned into it, I said it really seems to be an awesome thing that are steeping Catholics in scripture and learning the word of God. 

My buddy who I’m visiting was at a family picnic and Fr Mike Schmitz was there. Now I haven’t listened to him much but I know Fr Schmitz is a handsome dude with great charisma and a big following, but seems pretty grounded as well. My buddy mentioned that Fr Schmitz had a friend of his who kept him in check and one day gave him a zinger to bring him down to earth if he was starting to float. “Who do you think you are?” he asked Fr Mike, “some kind of celebrity priest?”

We need these kinds of people in our lives, trusted friends who can call us out in charity and keep us grounded when we start to think too much of ourselves, when we think we’re more than we really are. Not “Yes Men,” but trusted advisors who take on the role of helping us to counter pride and vainglory through setting up check-points. It could be as simple and direct as the zinger Fr Mike’s friend hit him with to bring him down to earth, even if it’s preemptive to the temptation. 

Fr. Schmitz doesn’t have the luxury of keeping a low profile, whether or not he would prefer that or not. God is calling him to be out there in the world working for the Kingdom. We all need a Nathan in our lives, not to necessarily affirm us, but to call us out when we need to hear an admonition rather than adulation. Those friends are worth their weight in gold, especially if you have any kind of following or are involved in public ministry. The ones who in charity ask us the question we should all ask ourselves from time to time when our heads swell a little, when we forget that we are simply ambassadors for Christ, “just who do you think you are?”