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Contemporary Idols I

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

“The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!”Ps. 46

Idolatry is a grave sin against the first commandment, where God tells us that He is the only Lord and that we cannot have any other. Many people invoke another supernatural power which, if it is not the one true God, opens them to the enemy of God and of humanity—the devil himself—as when one turns to witchcraft, spiritism, divination, and so on. But there is another way to go against this commandment of God: when, instead of having God in the first place in our hearts, we put other things or people (idols) there. In this way, we also sin gravely through idolatry; the spiritual, moral, and social consequences are very serious. Let us look at some examples:

1. Money and consumption. When material well-being, comfort, and accumulation become the center of life.
   Quote: “You cannot serve both God and money.” (Mt 6:24)
   Consequences: Spiritual blindness. Loss of trust in Divine Providence. Social injustice and exploitation of others. Anxiety, inner emptiness, and fear of loss. Hardness of heart toward others suffering.
2. The cult of the person (celebrities, influencers, leaders, even oneself: when admiration, fame, or power are sought as the meaning of life.
   Quote: “How can you believe, when you accept glory from one another?” (In 5:44)
   Consequences: Narcissism and egocentrism. Constant comparisons and frustration. Loss of authenticity and humility. Dependence on external approval.
3. Pets and disordered affections: when more value or love is given to them than to people, or when human relationships or faith are replaced with emotional bonds to animals.
   Consequences: Emotional isolation. Distortion of love: humanizing the animal and dehumanizing one’s neighbor. Shifting love from God and neighbor to a “controlled” love without moral demand.
4. Superstition and the esoteric: turning to energies, amulets, horoscopes, “cleanses,” reiki, crystals, tarot, or pseudo-spiritual sciences to gain control or luck.
   Quote: “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Ex 20:3)
   Consequences: Opening oneself to evil spiritual influences. Loss of trust in God. Confusion and dependence on the occult. Faith diverted toward fear and manipulation.
5. Health, the body, and aesthetics: when appearance or physical condition become an obsession or absolute value.
   Quote: “Physical exercise is of some value, but godliness is valuable in every way.” (1 Tim 4:8).
   Consequences: Vanity and pride. Anxiety in the face of illness or aging. Treating one’s body or others’ bodies as objects. Forgetting the spiritual life.