Free Us of Our Idols

Summary of a Fr. Gerry Creedon homily from February 10, 2008

"God knows well that the moment you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil." Genesis 3:5

I recently saw the movie "There Shall Be Blood". I was attracted to the film because I regard Daniel Day Lewis as an extraordinary actor. I knew it depicted the life of a miner in the West at the turn of the century, around the same time that my grandfather was mining for copper in Butte, Montana.

I left the theatre feeling, "Why did I spend two hours watching so much unrelieved violence and hate?" The movie depicted the growing obsession of an oilman who wanted to dig deeper and bigger wells. Oil and blood were the dominant images with the odd fire thrown in. The oilman's protagonist was a preacher who had a similar and growing passion for control and spiritual power over his sinful congregation. The oilman ends up killing the preacher.

However, the more I thought about the story the more I saw it as a parable of greed. In a way it presages the rapacity of capitalism and the contemporary addiction to oil and all of its destructive consequences.

The readings depict sin as the desire for total autonomy and control, "you shall be as gods". The primal sin of our first parents is presented as pride and greed.

In the Gospel story of Christ's temptations, we find the same affliction. The serpent tempts with "bread alone", the seduction of materialism, with ecclesiastical or spiritual power, and with political control of earth's magnificent kingdoms.

The prayer, fasting and almsgiving of the Lenten season are needed to free us of our idols. We are called back into an interdependence with the good earth, with the Lord, and with others. Let us leave aside our addictions and free ourselves of all our obsessions.