Homily: July 9, 2024 Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Silver and Gold )

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"With their silver and gold, they made idols for themselves, to their own destruction. Cast away your calf, O Samaria!". 

As you already know, I grew up in India, a predominantly Hindu country. But in the state of Kerala, my hometown, 50% of the people are Christians. And most of the Hindus in our small town were from other states who came to work. 

The workers on our family farm were also Hindus from other states. They were very poor and uneducated. They would be allocated some land space in a corner of the town to live in. 

Once they settle down, they would set up a worship area made with bricks and every evening, they light a candle or an oil lamp. Every month, they would add on something to build up this small altar. Eventually, they would dedicate it to one Hindu deity — either Shiva, Amman, Kali, Muruka, Vinayaka, Vishnu or another of the many deities. Then every year they would celebrate the dedication, thus it becomes a temple.

With their own ‘silver and gold’, they build up such altars to worship their god of choice.

For us Catholics, we are chosen by our God. And the Church is built not by our own silver and gold, but by the body and blood of Christ. Ours is the church of truth. But how many are truly worshipping this one true God?

How many are building their own altars of silver and gold, dreams and ambitions, and worshipping idols of fame and success, which are competing for attention away from our one true God?

Are we repeating the same grave mistake of the Israelites? 

-As we reflect on the first reading from Hosea, we understand that the Israelites by that time, had already seen and heard about the many wonders and mighty deeds of God, done for the sake of the chosen people. Yet, these people made idols with their own hands and worshipped these as gods.

How could they believe that the gods they have created would be more powerful than the God who first created them?

How could we believe that the success system this world has created would give us our freedom better than the salvation God has won for us?

Do we truly worship God with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our soul?

Or are there things or people in our lives that are taking our attention away from God, one brick at a time? Be careful if we are adding more and more focus to this small altar, which over time will become a temple of worship taking us totally, our heart, mind and soul, away from worshipping our one true God.

Let us check ourselves and destroy this small altar before it destroys us. 

Amen.


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