The Call to Humility
For as long as I can remember, I believed in astrology and was always proud to be a Leo – even though we’re notorious for our narcissism and need for the spotlight. Right on brand with this reputation, I would frequently post selfies on Instagram and try to make myself look better than everyone else. But for the past few months, however, I haven’t uploaded a single selfie. I’ve noticed that something in me has changed.
Last year, I discovered the fifteen promises of Mary to Christians who recite the rosary. One such promise is that praying the rosary will “withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities and will lift them to the desire of eternal things.” Just before this discovery, I had begun praying the rosary every day. After I first read this promise, I immediately thought of my social media obsession and wondered if I would ever see the day where I had the chance to post a selfie and consciously chose not to. I had always been fully aware of the fact that social media fuels narcissism and unhealthy self-love. Yet, I always gave in and hit “Post,” even though I knew I was being vain.
Fast-forward one year, and I haven’t posted a selfie in months. I even get secondhand embarrassment anytime I come across someone’s social media profile and notice that the only thing they post are selfies. Looking back, I can’t help but attribute this drastic change in my worldview to that one promise of Mary. Up until the point that social media began giving me the “ick,” I was simply a fan of Jesus, not a follower of Him. While I’ve always been a devout Catholic, I can honestly say that I was not a true follower of Jesus because I would knowingly disregard His instruction to be humble by contributing to the air of self-importance that social media fosters.
Have you ever stumbled across someone’s Instagram or TikTok account and noticed that they have a Bible verse in their bio or that they often wear Christian jewelry like cross necklaces, but their page reeks of self-obsession because of all the selfies they post? They might also appear to promote promiscuity or other sinful behavior via the sounds they use on the videos they upload. These are also fans of Jesus. They’re not true followers of Christ, even though they hold themselves out to be through their bios and outward appearances, because they repeatedly choose to promote themselves when we are specifically instructed not to do so.
True followers of Christ know that they are called to be humble (see James 4:10: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”). Humility is defined as “the feeling or attitude that you have no special importance that makes you better than others.” In effect, by constantly posting selfies on social media, people are projecting an overwhelming sense of self-importance. Rather than thanking God in private for making them outwardly beautiful, they decide that they need to implicitly tell the world that this much is true.
If you see yourself in the old me, then you need to reckon with the truth that you’re not a true follower of Christ – you’re just a fan. And as we’ve seen with the recent Hailey Bieber/Selena Gomez drama, no one likes a fan.
Whenever I feel myself start to fall into my old habits, I just think to myself, “Would the Blessed Mother have done this? Would the Blessed Mother take hundreds of selfies until she finally got the perfect one to upload to her Instagram feed?” No, because she was humble. She even carried our Savior and Redeemer in her womb, but never once did she go around bragging that she was the mother of Christ.
While it’s a hard pill for some to swallow, it’s important to recognize that social media is a catalyst for vanity. When we sign up for an account, we create a page that’s centered around us and our personal lives. We choose what we want to share with our followers – whether it be one selfie after another or something more humble. We have a choice when it comes to how we use the technology that’s at our fingertips. We can either promote ourselves by posting selfies all the time, or we can choose humility and accept the fact that we are not better than anyone else. We are all equal in God’s eyes because we were each made in His image and likeness. No astronomical follower count or number of enviable selfies will ever change that.
