We live in an age where identity theft is everywhere. People fill out credit cards using other people's information then charge on the card and leaving another holding the bag. There are many people who hack other people's accounts and computers stealing information, stealing identities, and reeking havoc.
Fraud seems to be everywhere. It has become a stable part of our society. We take credit for another's work. We plagiarize another's ideas, writing, thoughts and everything else inbetween.
But there is a greater fraud prevalent in our society that is often over looked. It has led to the slow decline of our morality, our standards, and our values. It has increased despair and depression and has attempted to beat hope into submission.
This particular fraud is the most dangerous. It is identity theft on a large scale.
The first reading points it out: "all men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God, and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is, and from studying the works did not discern the artisan."
It is not that we have stolen God's identity but rather we have refused to acknowledge it, but couldn't that be the same thing. We have give credit falsely to the primordial slime, to chance, to accident when the world screams at us the truth of being designed.
We look at the world around us and we turn a blind eye to the reality right before us daily in our life. Rather than seeing the hand of the creator who holds all things together we just see our own hands.
We have stolen the identity of God, we have kidnapped it from society, removed it from our school and work and buried it beneath our illogical conclusions. Rather then letting the evidence lead us we have been leading the witness, as they say.
We have committed fraud not in stealing an identity but in refusing to acknowledge one.
As the reading continues, " the original source of beauty fashioned them."
Because we have refused to acknowledge God in his creation, we have also closed our eye to real beauty.
How often in our society have we proclaimed beauty where beauty is lacking? How often have we rejoiced in that which is ugly though not realizing it until it was too late?
Think about what we find humorous? Think about the movies and entertainment that receives the greatest accolades? Think about our legislation and laws that we celebrate?
Think about the parades and gatherings?
We celebrate ugliness and call it beauty! How bizzare!
We have been perverted because we have chosen to live in falsehood.
Jesus sums it up at the end of the gospel today, "where the body is, there also the vultures will gather."
Today we pray to cast off the falsehood and let the truth set us free. May the heavens declare the glory of God and firmament proclaim his handiwork! Psalm 19
1 comment:
Dear Father Berger,
God bless you for writing your blog!!I do have a thought on this mornings readings...I really enjoyed them...I was very encouraged because nature is so lovely and I love how through it God draws man's gaze upward, upward to the Supreme Otherness...namely himself. :) Yes...it is the silly man that misses the point and doesn't see he is the created one...but most of us really still stand in awe of this amazing creation we are a part of...gazing upward contemplating our Creator God. :)
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