We are told from an early age to adore and worship God alone. But what does it mean to worship the Lord? What does it mean to adore our God? If we recall from our catechism days, it means “ You shall have no false Gods before Me.” That’s easy enough to understand, but very few have clay idols in God’s place. As we grow further away from those catechism days, we begin to acknowledge those intangible idols who live all around us and even inside us. They are the Idols of the Heart. Though not stone, they are weighty and burdensome nonetheless.
For instance we may flirt with an idol of “wanting to be seen as holy by others” or worship the idol of “ needing to be affirmed by whomever we interact. Then there are those who worship the idol “to be seen as good” or glorify other idols like being perfect, being the brightest, the best etc. etc. etc. Indeed these little invisible deities are everywhere and can truly annoy our present moments.
Yet being good or holy or even bright are all worthy things in themselves. They become idols when we desire to be these things to acquire praise and adulation for ourselves, rather than passing them off to God. God is the source of all our goodness. Everything is a gift flowing from that goodness.
We are nothing without first having God’s love and attention. When we realize this, we smash these crafty idols and see instead God’s beaming, smiling face. As St. Francis de Sales says : God is satisfied with very little for he knows we don’t have much.
This is why God loves our appreciating Him working in our lives. This appreciation of God is worship and adoration. During these moments we turn from ourselves i.e. having no “strange gods before him. ” We only have God , Our Father, who like the forgiving father in Scripture says “everything I have is yours.” And He gives it freely, because is so easily satisfied.
Ponder this day these parting words from St. Francis de Sales: We are weak creatures and scarcely do anything well; but God, who is infinitely kind, is satisfied with our small achievements and very pleased with the preparation of our heart when it plans to honor God and serve our neighbor.
This is the only God worth worshipping and adoring.