FR JOBY KACHAPPILLY

FR JOBY KACHAPPILLY
http://www.frjobypreachings.com/
Fr Joby Kachappilly VC
DUMMY GODS

In his book ‘The Wanderings?’, Hermann Hesse says, “Each one has his own dummy gods, Bowing before them, they find solace.”

Children’s god – toy
Drunkard’s god – alcohol
Rich man’s god – money
Politician’s god – power

When we speak of ‘dummy’ of ‘material gods’, we do not mean the supreme ‘God’ nor as though there are many gods. Anything that a person keeps close to his heart dearer than God is dummy god. It means anything that has enslaved him. How true are the words of Hesse! In each person’s life there are some individuals, things, ideals, TV channels, serials and addictions that give him material comfort and pleasure. All these are evils that have found abode in his heart with or without being aware of it. They are actually the material gods or dummy gods. The real freedom is liberation from such things.

The very first Commandment ‘Love God above all’ means we should not love anything more than God. A close examination of our life is essential to find out if there are such things which make us slaves. We should make out that these are things we should overcome by waging relentless war against ourselves. “Let us test and examine our ways” (Lam 3:40).

In the Old Testament, the word ‘slave’ means ‘a person who has been denied his rights’. Slaves were then recognized by the thread tied around their wrist. There was also the practice of branding them so that the mark remained permanent. In a similar way, Satan has bound and branded God’s children making them his willing bondmen, placing in their hearts certain material gods, favorite idols of dear deities. These things alienate them from spirituality and God and so there is a need for a spiritual freedom fight here. Christ himself, who never became a bondman to anybody or a slave to anything, is the leader of this freedom fight. The followers must gird their loins and be battle ready at his beck and call.
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Only Jesus can give us release from the material gods to whom we have been bound by Satan with invisible threads. The words of Jesus are especially noteworthy here: “He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and… to let the oppressed go free” (Lk 4:18-19). Without getting release from the material gods, we can’t live with the freedom of the children of God. If in any sphere of your life, there is a deliberate breach of the first commandment, pray to Jesus for release. All other sins are rooted in the breach of this all-important commandment.

Let us give God our undivided love. Let’s abandon the material gods, and adore and follow the true God giving him a permanent, exalted niche in our heart. “In your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord” (1 Pet 3:15). For that let us give up our wanton festivities and wear the whole amour of God for a spiritual struggle (Eph 6:10-17). Then freedom will become the rhythm of life and the music of the soul. Then there will be prosperity of divine experience and the fullness of spiritual joy. In this fight, the Mother of the Holy Assumption will be with us as our guide and help to crush the head of Satan, to vanquish the powers of evil.

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