By Bishop James Conley
At a Mass on the first Sunday in Advent, Pope Francis exhorted us: “Resist the dazzling lights of consumption, which will shine everywhere this month, and believe that prayer and charity are not lost time, but the greatest treasures.”
Consumption is a dazzling—but illusory—light. Pope Francis alludes to a great temptation that many of us face during these next few weeks, especially in prosperous countries like the United States. Even for Christians who believe that Jesus is truly “the reason for the season,” it is easy to get swept up in the consumerism of this time of year.
The Lord created the human person, made in his image and likeness, as a body-soul composite with both spiritual and material needs. God dignified the created world in an unimaginable way as God the Son took on human flesh, becoming man.
The material world is good. God gave men and women dominion over the created world with the ability to make beautiful and useful things for human flourishing. But, our material wants and needs are never a substitute for the place that God has in our lives.
For good reason the Lord gave us the commandment, “you shall not have other gods beside me” as the first commandment. This commandment obliges us Christians to worship the one true God, as it did the people of Israel, our ancestors in the faith.
It also obliges us to place God above everything else in the world, for the Lord knows how easy it is for us to turn anything or anyone into an idol or god. There is no room in our lives for competing “gods.” Our contemporary culture presents plenty of these gods, which challenges us to keep our primary devotion to God.
Archbishop Charles Chaput, the archbishop of Philadelphia wrote: “The big atheist murder-ideologies are dead. But they’ve been replaced by the far more effective practical atheism of a system based on consumer wants and needs. American advertising and entertainment are the most powerful catechists in history. Also the most pervasive.”
It’s very easy in our modern world to live almost unconsciously as a practical atheist—living as if God does not exist or doesn’t need to exist.
While there are certainly people throughout the world, in our country, and in our communities who are in need and impoverished, we, generally speaking, live in a time of great prosperity. Our basic needs are usually met, and luxuries are often accessible to us. Many people today believe that they have no need for God because all of their needs are already met.
We are more likely to be swept up into a practical atheism when we become a slave to our wants and needs; when we become a slave to fads and fashions; when we become a slave to luxury. The greedy never have enough, and, hence, are never happy. They seek after more and more, without finding fulfillment. These are the “dazzling lights of consumption” as Pope Francis puts it.
The dazzling lights of the world go dim and fade away. But, Christ is the light of the world, a light that lasts forever. He entered into this world of darkness, bringing the light of his love.
This light of Christ is handed on to us Christians through the grace of baptism. Our Lord said to his disciples at the Sermon on the Mount, “you are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14).
As Christians we don’t simply avoid consumerism and greed, but we positively seek after the living God. The light of Christ is the enduring light that we should seek out with all our hearts. It’s the light that we should desire to have shine within our hearts more and more every day.
This is a beautiful time of year. The practice of exchanging gifts is a great tradition. Our exchange of gifts with one another is a reminder for us of the greatest of all gifts, Christ’s humble entrance into the world.
In addition to the giving of material gifts this time of year, let us be a gift for others as vessels of the light of Christ, manifested daily in works of mercy.
