by Matthew Kelly
One summer, not long ago, I attended a wedding in Washington, D.C., which really got me thinking. It was held in a quiet little church in one of the older parts of town, the bride was stunningly beautiful, the groom was delightfully gracious, the flowers and music were magnificent, and the combination of guests was unique and intriguing. But what struck me the most, where the simple and yet overwhelmingly powerful words of the gentle old priest.
He began by quoting Fulton Sheen, “True love is a mutual self-giving that results in self-recovery,” and went on to describe how he had witnessed this self giving in Zoe and Brian during their courtship.
From there he moved into a brief discussion of the way the world views marriage today. Explaining how often he hears people say, “It just didn’t work out,” he then exposed this way of thinking. “It” is a very impersonal pronoun. We sometimes treat marriage as if “it” were a separate entity. “The truth is,” he explained “you are your marriage.”
All of these ideas I found fascinating, but it was what came next that really got me.
“Who is the most important person, or what is the most important thing, to you right now?” he asked. Then continued, “Who is your life centered on?” “What is your life centered on?” “Who or what is the source of your security?” These questions were raised with a gentle voice and a sincere heart, and were perfectly punctuated with a moment of silence between each. And then, after an extending pause, “If the Father of Jesus Christ isn’t your answer, then you have a case of idolatry.”
When we think of idolatry, images like the golden calf no doubt come to mind. We imagine an entire nation bowing down before this golden statue and wonder how any intelligent person could be so foolish. Perhaps we should delve a little further.
Who is the most important person, or what is the most important thing, to you right now? Is it God? Maybe
you know it should be God, but your heart has been carried away a little piece at a time. Where is your heart? Is it worshiping the one true God? Or is your heart worshipping “a modern golden calf?”
The modern golden calves are not new discoveries to any of us, we just perhaps do not think of them as such. What comes to your mind? Probably money at first, it is the logical modern translation of the golden calf of ancient times. There are a lot of people who worship their paycheck, bank balance, net-worth, stock portfolio or 401k plan. But we worship many things. Some people worship alcohol, sex, or drugs. Others worship their career or the corporation they work for. Some people put their boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife before God. Subtle, yet still a form of worship. But there are subtler forms of idolatry yet. One of these is to put country before God. But the subtlest of all, is idolatry of the family. Putting family before God.
It is good to love your family. It is good to love your country. It is good to love your spouse. It is good to love your work. It is good to enjoy the things of this world. But when we put these things before God they become disordered and destructive.
Only you can probe the inner places of your heart. Only you can diagnose whether or not you have a case of idolatry. But these questions certainly helped me, Who is the most important person, or what is the most important thing, to you right now? Who is your life centered on? What is your life centered on? Where is your heart? Who or what is the source of your security?