Last week, Pope Francis said
“God does not come to free us from our ever-present daily problems, but to free us from the real problem, which is the lack of love. This is the main cause of our personal, social, international and environmental ills. Thinking only of ourselves: this is the father of all evils.”
What is love? Whom do we love? The scriptures say: John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 2 John 1:6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to God’s commands. 1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
To love is to serve and to lay down our lives for others. It is to put the other above ourselves. We have been commanded to love God, and to love our neighbor.
In today’s first reading, Joshua calls the people together to hear his final words. Joshua has led the people to victory in the land God promised to them. They are victorious. God freed them from Egypt, led them through the wilderness, brought them to the promised land, and has given them victory over their enemies.
So, now Joshua puts this question to them, which seems almost silly. Whom will they serve? Which god will they love?
Will they serve the gods of Egypt that their ancestors worshiped across the river? Will they worship those puny gods who were put to shame by the plagues as the Lord demonstrated his power over all the domains claimed by their gods, and over all creation? Of course the Children of Israel will not worship those gods.
Will they serve the gods of their neighbors? The Amorite people were impressive. They were giants in the land. The Bible tells us that the enslavement of the Children of Israel lasted four hundred years because God was waiting for the sin of the Amorites to be complete. For whatever reason, God was patient with the unrepentant Amorites while the Children of Israel suffered. Now, the Amorites are defeated as the Children of Israel conquer the promised land, and (mostly) obey God’s command to utterly destroy them. Of course they will not worship the gods of their defeated enemy.
But – they do. Despite all their promises today, the Children of Israel worship these very gods. They place their infants into Molech’s furnace. They sacrifice their children in high places. They worship in the temple in public, but hide idols to false gods in their homes. They serve strange gods on the mountaintops.
And us? We have been delivered. We have been given victory. Surely we do not serve strange Gods?
We do.
We do not melt gold and make statues of animals, but we worship a strange god when we love anything more than we love God. We worship a strange god when we serve anything except God, and when we value anything more than we value the truth of God.
Several years ago, Elizabeth Scalia wrote a book titled “Strange Gods.” In it, she challenged us to put God first, and to sincerely look at our lives, and see where we have put something else in the first place that belongs to God alone. She pointed out the idols we often worship: the idol of ideas, of prosperity, of technology as the solution to all problems, of coolness and sex, the idol of my plans, my opinions, and my way. We make tools into idols as we spend time on our phones, instead of in prayer. We chase friendships, approval, and comfort, all while thinking only of our ultimate strange god – ourselves.
What strange gods have we given a place in our hearts and minds that belongs rightfully to Emmanuel, the God who is with us, the God who gave himself to us on the cross, and continues to give himself to us?
Where do we invest our time and attention?
Are we obsessed with whether black lives or blue lives or all lives matter, but find it a drag to come to church and give thanks to the one who died because our life matters to him?
Are we quick to tell everyone why we are or are not vaccinated, and why Pope Francis and our Bishop are wrong when they say that getting vaccinated is an act of love for our neighbor, or why the unvaccinated should be refused treatment at hospitals, but keep our mouths shut when it comes to talking about Jesus Christ?
Can you tell me everything about the 5.9 12 valve diesel or the 98 Yankees, but can’t remember the story of a single saint?
Do we value the approval of others too much to speak the truth God has revealed about gender identity and ordered and disordered human sexuality or about love for the poor and hospitality for the stranger and the immigrant? Do we hide our cowardice under a covering of false love and a pretended disinclination to judge?
These are only a few ways that we worship strange gods.
Jesus has come to show us another way. He has come to show us a path of love.
No, not a path of love – the path of love. The path of love that is obedience to the will of God. The path of love of our neighbor, which is to will and work for their good.
Jesus has come to show us that love is patient and kind, but love is truthful, even when the truth is painful to hear and to say. Jesus has come to give us the power to love others above ourselves.
And it starts at home.
Brothers and sisters, be subordinate to one another.
Wives, be subordinate to your husband.
Husbands, love and nourish and cherish your wife.
Is this saying hard? Does it shock us?
That is because we think too much of ourselves, and too much about ourselves. That is because we do not love as we should. We do not love as Jesus loves.
Our lack of love is the real problem, so that is the problem that Jesus has come to solve.
May we receive Jesus, and be transformed in heart and mind to love and know and serve God, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
