Reflections on Devotionalism . . .

A friend once told me “once a catholic, always a catholic”–ex-catholic, lapsed catholic, non-catholic, etc. Maybe he was right. Here I am blogging about Roman Catholicism years after I’ve left the denomination. But I’ve been thinking about all the notions non-catholics, and some catholics have about devotionalism as an idolatrous catholic practice. Maybe that’s a legitimate observation, but idolatry is not limited to catholics. Idolatrous behavior happens in almost every facet of our lives. It’s a question of misplaced priorities.

Worship no god but me. No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. Don’t bow down to them and don’t serve them because I am GOD, your God, and I’m a most jealous God. (Exodus 20:3-5)

God’s Word commands us to put *nothing* before our relationship with Him. However, most current cultures have an idolatrous veneration of all things tangible-possessions like cars, money, electronic gadgets, status, clothes, jewelry, power, success, human understanding, and sexual gratification–not that any of these things are wrong in themselves, but we routinely value and pursue them before relationships with our Creator and each other.