November 27, 2012
Probably one of the most despised employee by other employees is the “suck up” as he is known in today’s slang. Powerful people attract flatterers because the person doing the praising stands to get or maintain something by flattery or lose something by not flattering the one in power.
Alliances are made in business and politics in which the parties each stand to gain something they want, which most often can be boiled down to power over others or wealth or both. But we can also look to the classroom bullies, gang leaders, and even civic leaders who sport an entourage of “lieutenants” that praise everything they do regardless of the moral depredation of the acts. Thus, praise and flattery is a way to share in the sins of others.
The martyrdom of St. James the Greater
St. James the Greater, photograph by George Landow, The Victorian Web
Acts 12 gives us an example of how this works. Herod Agrippa, grandson of the Herod who killed the Holy Innocents, was reigning in Judea at this time. He was the brother of Herodias who counseled her daughter, Salome, to ask for the head of St. John the Baptist. Raised in Rome, he was close friends with Caligula and Claudius who gradually gave him complete dominion over Palestine as well as the title “king.”
The Jews hated him not only because of his pagan tendencies, but because he had such high favor in Rome. They hated the Romans and, by extension, Herod Agrippa. But Herod needed to keep peace in Judea to keep his place, so he sought the favor of the Jewish rulers by persecuting the Christians along with them. His was the final word on life and death, though.
Enter St. James the Greater, the first among the apostles to be martyred. Acts 12: 2-3 tells us “And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)”
In this very short two sentences we learn little about the circumstances of the beheading of St. James, but a lot about the Jewish reaction. By expressing satisfaction to Herod for killing St. James, they participated in Herod’s sin, and incited him further to get violent and try to kill St. Peter, the head of all the apostles. That he didn’t succeed in the latter was due to divine intervention.
Now the Jewish leaders didn’t say the words, “Good job!” that we so often hear today. They, although despising Herod, could not deny that his power was greater than theirs. To get more from Herod, they no doubt lauded him most fulsomely because they were bent on destroying the whole Christian community which they viewed as a challenge to their authority and knew they couldn’t do it without Herod’s help.
I have seen this behavior often in my business career and in parishes. Everybody can see it in politics. You can see it in bars when “friends” urge someone already drunk to have another and then laugh and joke with the drunk about how entertaining he is. Academy awards given for morally degrading music and film or awards for any other “artistic” work degrading to the human person is participation in the sin.
The valid psychological principle, “What you reward you get more of,” should caution all of us to censor our praise and apply it generously only where it advances the kingdom of God by building up righteousness in others.
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R. Now and forever!
(Click on the link above to read why I end my posts this way.)
