The idolatry of worshiping God

The idolatry of worshiping God
Laurence Gonzaga

A few weeks ago I had pulled into a local parking lot during my lunch break from work and a song came on the local Christian radio station. It was by no means appropriate for any kind of liturgical service, but one thing I will credit the Protestants for is that they know how to make music that touches the heart, not because of its technical or aesthetic beauty, but because it resonates with the challenges that modern Christians may face today. In that sense, it may only have transitory value, as opposed to a Mozart or Palestrina piece, but it serves a purpose. Considering the personal challenges I have been facing as of late, listening to the song and its lyrics drove me to tears; in fact, it was even a full blown sob, begging God for direction and clarity for my life. The lyrics for this song can be read here.

This evening I had a wonderful conversation with a friend. We spoke about many things, not the least of which has been my recent shift, once more, in my personal philosophy and emphasis in my planned apostolic work. I hope this new phase will be a bit more real, in a certain sense, focusing not on doctrine so much, and not even the more human aspect of religion, which I have been trying to write on these last three years. I plan for this phase to be a challenge, not only to myself, but for those who read these words, to think about whether they really are as far along the path as they think they are spiritually. I shared my thoughts of this song with that friend, and I shared how I thought it applied to our Catholic communities and he seemed to be rather moved by its application. So here goes.

The word idolatry, as we normally use it, simply means worshiping a false god. However, there are two ways you can be idolatrous; you can give true worship to a false god or false worship to the true God. So, what I gather from this song is a man who perhaps had the right initial intention, to provide for his wife and children by progressing in his career such that it would achieve just that; but at what cost? It seems like he had placed the value either on the career, or even worse, on a career which purports to be for the glory of God, at the cost of losing his own family. Let’s be honest with ourselves. How often has the practice of religion been a coping mechanism for ignoring the more “uncontrollable” aspects of our lives? How ironic, right? We can’t control our lives, and so we turn to the One Person Who has all the control, but we use our religious tools as means of controlling Him, in the end. You don’t think so? Have you ever counted how many rosaries you have said for an intention? Why? Do you think God is more likely to answer your same intention after 50 rosaries, rather than one? Do you get upset when your prayers seem to fall on deaf ears? Do you feel a bit more “holy” after having taught a Sunday school class of 50 kids, but you don’t even know what grades your own kids have in school?

I think we have to get our house in order, by that I mean ourselves. What is our vocation? What is God calling me to do, today? What are my duties to fulfill that vocation? Am I placing other things before those things, even things which purport to be for God, but in the end distract us from truly worshiping the true God? This is just food for thought. Nothing more. Just don’t forget, God wants us to fulfill all our duties, not just our religious duties. Remembering the greatest commandment will be helpful: love God; love neighbor. Who is my neighbor? My family, my friends, my acquaintances, my enemies. For me, I had forgotten my priorities. I had lost my way. I had lost my love. Don’t you make the same mistake I did!

God bless you.

http://youtu.be/OAKBXBXz1fo