“And when he had received them, he fashioned them by founders’ work, and made of them a molten calf. And they said: These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.” Exodus 32:4
My fellow Christians, if you think that you are not susceptible to idolatry, even while living your faith, you are sadly mistaken. If our early Church fathers can succumb to idolatry despite the fact that they had an intimate relationship and knowledge of God, despite the fact that God had provided divine intervention during their struggle, then I ask you to reflect on the following and on yourselves.
Many mistakenly assume that practicing idolatry is only limited to when one replaces God with an object and one believes that that object has divine powers and can intervene in human life and existence.
Let me ask you, do you have a handheld electronic communication device? Reflect on how much time you spend on that device? What do you use it for?
Could you imagine life without that device? Has it taken you away from other life practices such as reading, spending time with family and friends and other human interaction? Do you seek out relationships, social or otherwise, via that device?
Do you find deep enjoyment in interacting with the device? Does it bring you closer to God? Do you do God’s work through your device? Has that device become one with you?
Think about it. Have you created a golden calf for yourself?
“NO!” you say. In fact you protest that you use your device to spread the word of God; to look up information about or on scriptural readings; to connect with other Christians; to manage your life in general so that you could spend more time with your family and friends and lead a less stressful life.
Those would be good and noble arguments. I do wish to counter though. I have a few questions for you to consider: “Is that all you do with your device?” Now be honest with yourself. When you spread the word of God do you also action the word of God? Do you reflect and meditate on it in a prayerful manner? Has the ‘act’ of spreading the word of God taken precedence over praying, meditating, and reflecting on the word of God?
Have you gotten down on your knees more or less since you have started to use your device? Are you speaking to God directly or through your device? …have you been distracted….ever so slightly..in your prayer life?
My fellow Christians, I am not in any way saying that you should get rid of your device. Not at all! What I would like you to do is to ask yourself, “Have I created a golden calf?” Have you inadvertently created an alternate reality different than that taught by the Church? It does not take much for your spiritual life to move ever so slightly off-course, and following that tangent in the long run, looking back, and realizing that you are miles off course. Is your device slowly replacing God?
“Man commits idolatry whenever he honours and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons, (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc. Jesus says. You cannot serve God and mammon.” …..Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God; it is therefore incompatible with communion with God.” Catechism of the Catholic Church #2113
Place your device down for a day. Don’t even look at it. Do find it hard not to think about it? Do you find it hard to go through your day without it? Do you find yourself longing for it..wanting it…getting anxious over not having it?
I ask you again. “Have your created your own golden calf?”
Copyright 2014, Luciano Corbo
Luciano Corbo
Luciano Corbo holds a Master of Arts - Integrated Studies from Athabasca University. His major interests are Culture, Work, Organizations and Leadership, within a context of Catholic Social Teaching Principles. He writes from Canada.
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