Our first reading for today is from the book of Wisdom 13:1-9. “For they indeed have gone astray perhaps, though they seek God and wish to find him.” The first 9 verses speak of natural man’s futile attempts at finding God. The meaning was not obvious and I wasn’t sure what the author was trying to say until I read Wisdom 13:10 and it became clear. “But wretched are they, and in dead things are their hopes, who termed gods things made by human hands; Gold and silver. the product of art, images of beasts, or useless stone, the work of an ancient hand” In short idolatry.
Over the past few weeks I have been ill and have slowed down my volunteer and social schedule. In the process I spent entirely too much time on my cell phone and facebook. The was a joke in somewhat poor taste and went like this.
A young lady working intently on her cell phone was sitting at a bar and a young man approached her. She rebuffed him saying that she” had over 500 followers on facebook and that he was out of his league” . The young man was startled and came and said, ” I guess that it must be similar to being a millionaire in monopoly.” I wasn’t that funny but Jesus in today’s gospel brings it into a more relevant light.
Jesus says, ” Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left. They said to him in reply, Where Lord? He said to them, Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather. “
Going back to my cellphone story, with everyone has their nose in a cellphone that if it happened that no one would notice because everyone else would have their noses in their own cellphones.
Jesus’s point is not against cellphones or the internet. It could be anything or anyone that tries to take the place of God in our lives. Technology is not inherently bad and nor are the people we love. Jesus is warning us to be aware of our attitude toward anything that might take the place of God in our lives. He is warning us of the vultures are waiting to lead us away from God as the center of our lives.
Exodus 20:3-5 ” You shall not have other gods beside me. You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything* in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or serve them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their ancestors’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation.”
Idolatry can crept into our lives and the vultures are there to make our souls the carrion for the devil. God does not make junk. Our cell phone or the internet are inherently good. People we love or not love are inherently good. Our foolishness is when we replace them with God.
In examining our lives when we approach Jesus at the alter, we need to affirm His kingship in our lives.
God Bless you always
Bob Burford
PS: Please pray for the following people who are close to death, AJ [24], Rosanna [59] and Sue [65]. Please pray for them and their families.
