As I mentioned a couple of days ago in my post on praying unceasingly, I have been re-reading some of Fr. Henri Nouwen’s thoughts about prayer, especially his ideas about idolatry and its prevalence in our lives. Interesting that I seem drawn to thinking of this, because much of our first readings at Mass in recent weeks have to do with idolatry in the classic sense of the word, i.e., the public worship of false gods, such as Baal in the northern kingdom of Israel during the time of Amos, Hosea and other prophets.
Nouwen, though, stretches our understanding of how prevalent this particular sin is in contemporary society. While it is true more and more people are turning to “New Age” religions (which are actually a renovation of ages-old paganism) or resorting to Buddhism or animism, what is far more prevalent to so many more of us is an insidious practice of idolatry in the form of withholding from God parts of our own experience.
Nouwen speaks at some length about how we are very much afraid to be “naked” in the sight of God in that we do not want to give God all our thoughts, imaginings, fantasies and inner impulses. He speaks of how we want to hide these from his view in shame and in doing so removing these aspects of who we are from his lordship. This anxiety, shame and shielding/covering are, in effect, idolatry for we then begin to erect little “altars” to these forbidden experiences and give them a lot of attention and energy. They become for us little gods that rule over us.
This form of idolatry can only be overcome, Nouwen seems to say, by exposing ourselves with these very thoughts, images, imaginings, fantasies and impulses to the love of God. By giving them to the light of Christ, in prayer – by holding none of them back from Jesus – we become obedient to the one God of all. We give God lordship of our entire lives and in effect, we pray unceasingly.
Isn’t this true? This is at the heart of conversion and metanoia. It is at the heart of repentance. It is the core of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is the experience of the mystics and contemplatives in our Christian tradition.
Avoid idolatry by giving all to God – yes, even our darkest thoughts and images and inclinations. Give them all to God. Every recovering alcoholic knows the power in this. Every saint knows its necessity. Satan and his legions fear it for he knows that it is in shame that he finds his power for he is the idolator par excellence.
Let us confidently approach God full of hope and firm in the belief that he draws us to himself to renew all of us, even the dark places, even those embarrassing thoughts that we would so often want to keep hidden.
