BEWARE OF SETTING UP IDOLS IN THE NAME OF YOUR FAITH

Winchester, VA – In this Celestial Musings, I have been reading C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters with my son. If you haven’t read it, it is a fictional compilation of letters from a devil to his nephew, teaching him how to ensnare souls. One of his tips is to convince a soul to espouse one side of a cause—it doesn’t matter which side, at first, because the soul believes it to be part of his religion, then to convince the soul that it is the most important part of his religion, then to convince him that his religion is merely a part of the “cause,” the cause itself essentially becoming an idol, the man’s perceived end. In the book the example of patriotism and pacifism is used, but you know I see this almost daily on social media on the parts of people who have staked their claim on some Catholic issue, and they make the issue more important than their faith, even abandoning all semblance of charity towards those who disagree. For some their idol is contraception; for some it is a certain kind of liturgy; for others it is a hatred towards the Holy Father or Vatican II; and for others it is social justice. I could go on. My point is: yes, have your opinions, but if your opinions cause you to abandon the virtue of charity towards others, you can be assured that you have set up an idol of your cause, even if it is in the name of your religion. Don’t ever say something to another in the name of your faith which would cause Our Lord to weep.

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