Idolatry update

The end of April, I posted a sermon which was primarily about the sin of idolatry in our society and in our lives. At the recommendation of a wonderful friend I'm currently reading "The Dark Night of the Soul" by Gerald G. May, M.D., subtitled "A Psychiatrist Explores the Connection Between Darkness and Spiritual Growth" based as you might well imagine on the works of John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila. In the section entitled "Attachment and Idolatry" in Chapter two he makes this observation:

In a spiritual sense, the objects of our attachments and addictions become idols. We give them our time, energy, and attention whether we want to or not, even -- and often especially -- when we are struggling to rid ourselves of them. We want to be free, compassionate, and happy, but in the face of our attachments we are clinging, grasping, and fearfully self-absorbed. This is the root of our trouble. Our birth legacy, our human nature, is the fulfillment of the promise of the two great commandments: we will love God with all our heart and soul and mind, and we will love one another as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-39). Yet we find our hearts are given elsewhere, our souls compelled by something else, our minds kidnapped by other things. Whether we admit or deny it, we are worshiping false gods. Most of the time, we try to deny it.

Wish I could have said it that well in my sermon!

Most of us probably have idols in our lives which challenge us, but most of us (me for sure) are experts at denying it. How much easier it is to look at the idols of others rather than our own.