Contemporary Idols II
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
“The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.”ps. 98
Idolatry is a grave sin against the First Commandment, in which God tells us that He is the only Lord. When we allow something or someone to take God’s place in our hearts, we harm ourselves and others. That is why God forbids it—because we cannot have true love unless we love God above all things. Here we continue with a list of common forms of idolatry in today’s world.
- Food, pleasure, and comfort. When life revolves around satisfying the senses or seeking constant comfort.
Quote: “Their god is their belly” (Phil 3:19)
Consequences: Spiritual laziness, lack of self-control. Neglect of fasting and Christian sobriety. Inability to sacrifice. Moral emptiness and apathy toward the suffering of others. - Sex and sensuality: When sexual pleasure or physical attraction become ends in themselves, apart from love and God’s plan.
Quote: “The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord” (1 Cor 6:13).
Consequences: Slavery to passions, addictions, lust. Destruction of families, relationships, and self-esteem. Loss of purity, the capacity to love, and fidelity. Distortion of God’s image in human love. - Power, politics, or ideology: When an ideology, party, nation, or political leader is made absolute.
Quote: “We have no king but Caesar” (In 19:15) — the idolatry of power that Christ rejected.
Consequences: Fanaticism, division, hatred. Manipulation of the masses. Loss of moral discernment. Violence and corruption. - Human relationships and affections: When a person (spouse, child, friend) is placed in the position that only God should occupy.
Quote: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (Mt 10:37).
Consequences: Emotional dependency and codependency. Excessive pain after breakups. Deviation of authentic love into possessiveness. Unfaithfulness to God’s will.
Knowledge, science, or technology: When one believes that human progress can replace God, or that science can answer everything.
Quote: “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor 8:1).
Consequences: Intellectual pride and self-sufficiency. Dehumanization of life (transhumanism, genetic manipulation, unethical Al). Loss of transcendent meaning. Reduction of faith to superstition.
Saint Rose-Philippine Duchesne | Biography
Rose-Philippine Duchesne was born on August 29, 1769, in Grenoble, France, to a wealthy family that was deeply committed to their Catholic faith. From a young age, Rose- Philippine felt called to religious life and aspired to become a member of the Society of the Sacred Heart. However, her family was opposed to this decision, and it was not until she was 18 years old that she was able to join the order.
In order to escape her family’s plans for her, she convinced an aunt to accompany her on a visit to the Visitation of Holy Mary religious order’s monastery. Once there, she immediately requested admission and was accepted, leaving her aunt to return home without her and to break the news to her family. She made her final vows in 1789, just as the French Revolution was beginning to sweep the country.
During the revolution, many religious orders were disbanded, and religious persecution was rampant. However, Sister Rose-Philippine refused to abandon her faith or her calling to serve others. She continued to work in secret, often risking her life to provide aid and comfort to those in need. During the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, however, she was forced to move home. Determined to not be discouraged, she lived according to the Rule of her congregation and served her family, and those religious who had been imprisoned, to the best of her ability during that time.
Inspired by a missionary spirit Sister Rose-Philippine accepted an invitation to set up schools for Native American and French children in the diocese of Louisiana. In September of 1818 the first Sacred Heart school outside of Europe was opened in St. Charles, Missouri. The first novitiate would be opened the next year in Florissant, Missouri. Life on the frontier was fraught with hardship, from extreme cold to a shortage of resources, including food, shelter, and clothing. Despite these obstacles, Sister Rose-Philippine opened schools and orphanages, taught young girls how to read and write, and ministered to the sick and the poor.
It was not until Rose-Philippine was 72 years old that her wish to serve the Native Americans was granted. The Jesuit head of a mission to open a school for the Potawatomi in Sugar Creek, Kansas insisted that she join. Though ill and frail she stayed with the Potawatomi for a year, spending long hours in contemplation which earned her the nickname, Quah-kah-ka-num-ad, “Woman-Who-Prays-Always.”
She died on November 18, 1852, at the age of 83. On July 3, 1988, Pope John Paul II declared Rose-Philippine Duchesne to be a saint. Sister Rose-Philippine was known for her kindness, her compassion, and her unwavering faith. She inspired many others to follow in her footsteps, and her legacy lives on today in the work of the Society of the Sacred Heart and other religious orders that continue to serve others around the world.
Please note: “Philippine and the first RSCJ became dependent on the forced labor of enslaved persons during their initial years in North America. This practice was entrenched in the economy and civil society of Missouri and Louisiana and was supported by Catholic Church leaders. Today we know that complicity in the institution of enslavement denied the dignity of people of color and was sinful. The Society is working humbly to acknowledge our history with enslavement, to build relationships with the descend- ants of our enslaved persons, and to work with the descendants towards racial equity, and the end to systemic racism in our institutional structures.” —Society of the Sacred Heart, https://rscj.org/shrine/her-life
Prayer
Lord, You alone are the Center in which I find rest. Give me Your arm to support me, Your shoulders to carry me, Your breast to lean upon, Your Cross to uphold me, Your Body to nourish me. In You, Lord, I sleep and rest in peace. Amen.
—Saint Rose-Philippine Duchesne
Readings of the Week
Sunday: Malachi 3:19-20a/2 Thessalonians 3:7-12/Luke 21:5-19
Monday: 1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63/Psalm 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158/Luke 18:35-43
Tuesday: 2 Maccabees 6:18-31/Psalm 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7/Luke 19:1-10
Wednesday: 2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31/Psalm 17:1bcd, 5-6, 8b and 15/Luke 19:11-28
Thursday: 1 Maccabees 2:15-29/Psalm 50:1b-2, 5-6, 14-15/Luke 19:41-44
Friday: 1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59/1 Chronicles 29:10bcd, 11abc, 11d-12a, 12bcd/Luke 19:45-48
Saturday: 1 Maccabees 6:1-13/Psalm 9:2-3, 4 and 6, 16 and 19/Luke 20:27-40
Next Sunday: 2 Samuel 5:1-3/Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5/Colossians 1:12-20/Luke 23:35-43
Observances for the Week
Sunday: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday: Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
Friday: Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saturday: Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Next Sunday: The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
