Tuesday, October 13, 2009

28th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 13-10-09

Romans 1 : 16-25
Luke 11 : 37-41

The use of sacramentals in the Church is an interesting practice.

Sacramentals are things like holy water, crucifix, rosary, holy pictures and statues.

Most Catholics would use such sacramentals during prayer, and will kiss the holy pictures and touch the statues.

But of course, we are clear that we don't worship statues or use holy pictures like some kind of talisman.

But as much as we know the place of sacramentals and holy objects in our religious life, when it comes to our secular life, we get all mixed-up.

We run into this problem of making things the center of our lives.

For e.g., some get so absorbed with their personal computers that they could not see that the computers are now controlling them.

Some get so absorbed with another human being that they create a personality cult, and that's why singers, movie stars ad sports stars have a fan club,

St. Paul, in the 1st reading, would point out that the impiety and the depravity of man have caused them to exchange the glory of the immortal God for a worthless imitation, of mortal man, of birds, of animals, or whatever.

All this happened because the truth of God has been imprisoned by the wickedness of man.

Indeed, we have that ability to suppress God's truth in us.

Let us ask Jesus to cleanse our hearts, so that the truth of God will set us free to worship the one true God.