We all know how that turned out for Adam and Eve…What makes us “think” we are any different?

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St John Jesus addresses his own people who have rejected him…These are the same people who “say” they believe in God….But somehow they do to “see” God who was standing right in front of their face…..”You search the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life”……Humanity has a way of accepting things on its own terms…This pervasive way we look at "things" is directly opposed to Christ’s message…..This why ten people can read something and have ten different interpretations…We see things through our own personal lens and experience…..There is danger in that because in viewing life in that manner, objective truth is lost…And when objective truth is disregarded, God is disregard because God is Truth…..Jesus today in the Gospel brings up to his people how “for a while” they liked what John the Baptist had to say…But as time wore on, John the Baptist was eliminated by the state because he challenged what they held up to be most important - Their Power!….This is why the First Commandment is to love God above all things….Idols do not come to us in the form of a “golden calf” like in the Old Testament….Idols take on all forms of “things” that are given pride and place over God…..Ultimately, the idols we hold up over the one true God enslave us…Yet humanity somehow believes the lie that God in his infinite goodness is the one who enslaves us - Who “holds us back” from the “good life”……Once again - The whisper of the ancient serpent can be heard in the garden….”God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God”……."Did God really say”…….”You certainly will not die”…..We all know how that turned out for Adam and Eve…What makes us “think” we are any different?

“They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt, Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea.”

As Catholics we are to accept the Truth in season and out of season….As we all know, the world is fickle, we however are called to be consistent and steadfast in our Catholic faith…But are we?….When we view our social media feeds each day we see how Catholics mix their politics with their religion….Catholic politicians who “claim” they are "devout Catholics" yet support abortion…..Catholics politicians who are “conservative” politically and support the death penalty……Catholic politicians who are indifferent to same sex marriage…..All of these real life actions witness to what the readings today at Mass address…We create idols - And place those idols over God - And in the process we rationalize our behavior in the name of “this or that”….Humanity can do this almost subconsciously…This is why Jesus tells his people today in the Gospel…”For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”…But the people were blind to their behavior yet they professed with their mouth a belief in the one true God….So the question to consider today is - What do we hold up over God?….Have we created numerous “golden calves”, which we value more than God himself?…A good way to evaluate this objectively is to take a good look at your check book…What do you spend your money on?….This will tell you very clearly who and what is most important in your life…..In doing this I am not asking you to give all your money away…What I am asking you to do is honestly evaluate what you spend your money on….In doing so you will get a very clear picture of what is most important in our life…This is where the “rubber meets the road”!…..Jesus calls the people out today in the Gospel….”I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?”….Is Jesus also calling us out as well?

“Our fathers made a calf in Horeb and adored a molten image; They exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock.”

Lent is a time to evaluate the “things” that have a hold on our life….If we are honest with ourself, there are many “things” that enslave us…..Humanity has the wrong idea about the message of Christ and what true freedom is all about….The Gospel message is all about freedom, yet humanity “thinks” the words of Christ and his Church are about enslavement…..It’s the exact opposite!….When we place “things” or behaviors above God, they rule our life and in turn we become slaves to those things……Jesus came to free us from sin and in turn free us from slavery….Still don’t believe me?…..Would you agree that taking on massive amounts of debt is a form a slavery?…Would you agree with that statement?….Why do we do it?…Is it to “create” an image of ourself, pretending to be something we are not?…Sounds a little like a “golden calf” to me……Is it possible we are listening to the whisper of the ancient serpent, who comes to us in his many disguises?….We all know how that turned out for Adam and Eve…What makes us “think” we are any different?