Sunday, July 12, 2009

Do you love the Lord... or just his stuff?


Yesterday I read a posting on Deacon Greg Kandra's blog The Deacon's Bench reacting to a Slate article on the "Prosperity Gospel" and Joel Osteen one of its gurus. The article takes a look at how Osteen's message is being received in light of the recession.
What most intrigued me was that as I was reading this piece that pointed out "...the belief in 'positive confession,' or the idea that the faithful can 'name it and claim it'—even Waikiki timeshares or Rolls-Royces with corn-silk leather trim—and God will provide it," I was listening to Fr. Richard Simon's homily for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary time in which he makes the point that we tend to ask God for things, but God wants to give us himself.
It may be unkind, but it struck me that those who follow the "Prosperity Gospel" tend to approach God in the same manner as a spoiled child approaches his parent -- more concerned with the gift than with the giver, and seemingly unconcerned with the love for which the gift can only be considered a poor substitute.
Deacon Kandra wonderfully summed up Osteen's theology as "...all crown and no cross." When Our Lady offered Maximillian Kolbe a choice between the two in a vision, the future saint and martyr asked for both. That is a more authentic Christianity to my way of thinking.

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