Thursday, September 21, 2017

24th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 22-09-17

1 Tim 6:2-12 / Luke 8:1-3

For whatever reasons, there are some people who make "idols" out of movie stars, pop stars, sports stars and whatever stars there can be.

And there is also the cult of personality when a famous or popular figure creates an idealized or heroic persona that becomes the center of quasi-worship or adoration among the general public.

Certainly these are nothing new and time and again we see people in numbers of hundreds or even thousands following these personalities.

In the gospel, we heard of people following Jesus. Besides the Twelve, there were also a few women and several others who provided for Jesus and His companions out of their own resources. They certainly believed in Jesus and the Good News of the Kingdom that He proclaimed.

But in the 1st reading, St. Paul warned that there are some people who think that religion is a way of making a profit. He pointed out that people who long to be rich are a prey to temptation. They get trapped into all sorts of foolish and dangerous ambitions which eventually plunge them into ruin and destruction.

So for those who are following such people out of adulation or excessive slavish kind of admiration, it could lead to unpleasant or even tragic consequences.

Yes, we pray for them and we also must also see if we can help them break out of this perverse obsession, and like those who followed Jesus, we may need to do it out of our own resources, whatever that might entail.

We point them to the cross of Christ, which although is devoid of any glamour or attraction, is the source of truth and love. That means that we must first believe in the cross of salvation, before we can tell others to follow Jesus the Saviour.