Idols

We live in a world that is fascinated by material realities, and sometimes they can become like idols for us. Since our childhood, all kinds of materialistic dreams make us see money as the key to happiness.

If we let ourselves be deceived by the appearances, then slowly, imperceptibly, our life may take an orientation that leads to searching enjoyment and material wealth at any cost. We desire everything, we want to have everything. We look for ways to reach this end. All means become acceptable if they allow us to quench our thirst for power, for domination, for using others. And all for our own selfish purposes.

But there may be also other idols... a selfish desire for possessions, alcohol, sex, drogues, power, fame, glory, just to satisfy our own pride.

Once we have oriented our life this way, we may end up deviating progressively from the true meaning and greatness of our life, for which we have been created.

In this frantic race for enjoyment at any cost, we never seem to have enough. We want more and more every time, and we become slaves of these idols, these new "golden calves"... It is thus that our ego begins to look at everything through the concept of "me, myself and I", wanting to find in everything only a personal satisfaction.

Pride and a moral nihilism of despair appear in time, making of pleasure the only joy accessible to a human being (!). In order to justify ourselves, we invent freedom slogans:

"I don't care what happens after I'm gone!" "Enjoy while you can!" Or: "Let's enjoy life while we can; because, later, we will be dust!" etc.

The search for material security gives us an illusion of independence. We don't need God any more, so... we put Him aside. Then we forget Him, and we struggle, alone, in what is superficial which, with time, becomes senseless, absurd and deceiving.

"Idol" means: that which diverts from God. So you, my friend... doesn't let yourself be blinded by the idols of the world. You are called to live from riches of another incomparable nature!

"Everything that belongs to the world - what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of - none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but he who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2,16-17)

 

The human being, blinded by a false sense of power, has stopped seeing that fortune and power are temporary and provisional, consequently, they have an end = NOTHINGNESS.

You, my friend, who is beginning your life, learns to aim much higher! "Don't be contented with being the son of a man, when you can be a Son of God" (St. Leo the Great).

Don't forget that we live in a world of struggles.

To close this chapter, here is an excerpt of the Letter of Paul to the Romans (Romans 12,21): "Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good" and you will live a happy life.