THROUGH UNTRUE
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus asks His disciples, “Will you also go away?” (John 6:66). This question resonates with us as well. Will we continue to believe in God even when He confounds our expectations? Or will we seek other gods that promise immediate solutions to our needs?
Many people, disappointed by God's seeming unconcern, put their faith in money, viewing it as a powerful god that satisfies their necessities and provides access to comfort, security, and luxury. They see it as a tool to control others, events, the future, and their environment.
However, money is a heartless god. It transforms its worshippers into insatiable and greedy beings, always afraid of not having enough. Perpetually busy accumulating more wealth, they neglect to nurture the more fulfilling values that money cannot buy. Eventually, they reach a point where they realize—too late—that worshipping money has cost them their health, peace, contentment, lasting friendships, and even family.
Others kneel before the altar of success and popularity. Yet, the tragic fates of many prominent personalities and celebrities serve as cautionary tales. After basking in the glow of public admiration, they often find themselves isolated and vulnerable when their success declines and their fame fades. The transition from being celebrated to being ignored or forgotten can be devastating, leading to depression, identity crises, and, in some cases, suicidal thoughts.
Many worship power as an inexhaustible source of economic advantage, privilege, and status. However, history has repeatedly shown that those who relentlessly pursue power become corrupt, manipulative, and ruthless. Consider our politics—once an arena where the nobility of human character was displayed, it has now become the natural habitat of power-hungry individuals.
Still, others worship costly gods manufactured by our high-tech and consumeristic society—drugs, cosmetic beauty, fashion, entertainment, the internet, and social media. Yet these too offer only superficial joys, devoid of depth and meaning. They satisfy us briefly then leave us feeling empty and craving more.
So, the question Jesus posed to His disciples is also directed at us. When God seems unresponsive, distant, and does not act according to our wishes, will we turn away from Him and seek costly substitutes?
It is comforting to know that even John the Baptist, whom Jesus described as "the greatest among those born of women" (Matthew 11:11), struggled with this question. Isolated in a dungeon, feeling helpless and abandoned, John sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:2-6).
Many saints and martyrs, tormented by feelings of despair and abandonment, also grappled with the temptation to seek other gods. A modern example is Mother Teresa, who revealed a shocking confession in her biography titled Come Be My Light:
"My darkness is so great that I do not see—neither with my mind nor with my reason. The place of God in my soul is blank. There is no God in me. When the pain of longing becomes overwhelming, I just yearn for God. But what I feel is that He does not want me. He is not there."
For nearly 50 years, Mother Teresa endured profound emptiness and a darkness that might have driven a lesser person to despair. Yet she remained faithful to God, holding onto the words of Jesus: "Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me" (Matthew 11:6).
In moments when we are tempted to seek substitutes for God, let us remind ourselves of St. Peter's declaration of renewed faith: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).