Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Fr. Michel Schmitz tells the familiar story of a child who asks their parents if their deceased pet will one day be reunited with them in heaven. Looking upon their parents with anticipation and hope, the parents respond as only they know how- by gently and lovingly reassuring the child that if they need their pet in heaven to be happy with God then God will surely reunite the child with the animal. Putting theological arguments of a spiritual soul versus a material soul aside along with our own love for animals and the theological opinions of St. Francis, Fr. Schmitz draws out one problem with the parents’ reply: if we need God AND something else (whatever that something else may be) in heaven in order to be happy, then maybe we’re not ready for heaven.
All of us, in one way or another, face the temptation to ride the fence and to compartmentalize our faith- leaving God to be one aspect of our life which never seems to penetrate and overwhelm the rest. In this way, our discipleship loses its singular focus on Christ- becoming God AND… something else. God AND… my career. God AND… financial security. God AND… Facebook friends. God AND… love, as if we expect to find authentic love apart from the God who is love. We must ask ourselves, if I am a disciple of Christ AND something else, am I really a disciple? What is that if not idolatry?
In today’s first reading, St. Paul urges the Church in Corinth to avoid idolatry. Appealing to Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist and the unity of the one Body which results from partaking of the Eucharist, he demands a complete break from polytheistic sacrificial rituals. In other words, it can’t be the one true God AND… something else. Instead, we’re left with an ultimatum: God OR… the something else. Because, in words of St. Paul, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord AND also the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord AND of the table of demons.”
Pope Francis has reminded us of this same point, saying, “we all have an idol hidden within us. We might ask ourselves before God: ‘what is my hidden idol, what occupies the Lord’s place in my heart? ...There was a French writer, a very religious man, who got angry very easily and often; it was his great shortcoming. He said: whoever does not pray to God prays to the devil. If you do not adore God, you adore idols, always!” (Morning Meditation in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, 15 October 2013). So, what’s your idol? What is it? In the words of Pope Francis, what occupies the Lord’s place in your heart?
How do we identify the idols in our lives? I believe an answer can be found with a close inspection of today’s Gospel from Luke, in which Jesus contrasts the lives of two men: one who laid the foundation of his house (life) on rock and another who built his house (life) without a foundation. Because both men call upon Jesus as “Lord, Lord” we can presuppose that both men were in fact believers in Jesus (to lesser and greater extents). But it begs the question, if the man who built his house without a foundation had knowledge of Jesus, then why didn’t he simply go ahead and build his house on rock? From years of engineering experience, having a Master’s degree in geotechnical engineering, and designing numerous foundations myself, there are usually only two reasons why a contractor would resist building a more conservative foundation: time and money! So, how do we identify the idols in our lives? Perhaps we can reflect on the following two questions as a starting point: Where do I spend my time? And, where do I spend my money?
Today, may we echo the song of the psalmist and “call upon the name of the LORD” AND nothing else- putting away all idols that may confuse our discipleship, so that we may worship God ALONE- not God AND. St. John Chrysostom, pray for us! Amen.
Ryan J. Mahle