The Quiet Danger of “At Least…”
“At least I go to Mass every Sunday.”
“At least I’m not a hypocrite.”
“I may not be involved in a ministry, but I’m a good person.”
“I don’t pray as much as I should, but neither do most people.”
If we’re honest, most of us have probably had thoughts like these. They are not born out of pride, but out of a desire to reassure ourselves that we’re doing okay. We compare ourselves with those around us, and if we seem to be doing a little better, we breathe a sigh of relief.
It was one of the reflections from Fr David’s homily this weekend that stayed with me long after Mass had ended.
Reflecting on the Gospel from Matthew 10:37–42, he spoke about what Pope Benedict XVI described as the culture of relativism. It sounds like a complicated phrase, but perhaps it is something we experience more often than we realise. It happens when we stop asking, “What is Christ asking of me?” and begin asking, “What is everyone else doing?”
Without even noticing, the standard begins to shift.
Instead of looking to Christ, we begin looking sideways. We measure our faith against the people around us. As long as we attend Mass more regularly than someone else, avoid the mistakes others make, or consider ourselves “better than average,” we feel reassured. We tell ourselves that missing Friday abstinence isn’t such a big deal because many others no longer observe it either. Yet Jesus never asked us to compare ourselves with one another. He simply said, “Follow me.”
That is a very different invitation.
Following Jesus was never meant to be easy. He Himself tells us that whoever wishes to follow Him must take up his cross. The journey of discipleship is not always comfortable. There are sacrifices to make, habits to let go of, and moments when we must choose obedience over convenience. Perhaps the hardest part is allowing our old selves, our pride, our need to be in control, and our own ideas of what is “good enough,” to slowly give way so that Christ may shape us into the people He created us to be.
There is a difference between struggling to follow Christ and redefining what it means to follow Him.
Every disciple struggles. Every saint struggled. None of us follows Jesus perfectly. The danger is not that we fall short. The danger is when we quietly lower the standard so that we no longer feel the need to change. Instead of allowing Christ to transform us, we reshape discipleship until it fits comfortably within our own lives.
Perhaps that is why Jesus speaks so directly in this Sunday’s Gospel. Not because He wants to burden us, but because He loves us too much to leave us where we are. He calls us to something greater than simply being “better than most.” He calls us to become more like Him.
As we begin a new week, perhaps there is only one question we need to carry with us.
When I make my decisions, whose voice shapes them the most? Is it the opinions of those around me? Is it my own desire for comfort? Or is it Christ?
The good news is that Jesus never asks us to become perfect before following Him. He simply asks us to keep our eyes fixed on Him. The moment we stop comparing ourselves with everyone else and begin looking to Christ again, we take another small step on the beautiful, lifelong journey of becoming His disciple. (BV)