The god that we make of power, the domination of others and the
exercise of control over their lives, is a false god.
The god that we make of possessions, the accumulation of wealth far
beyond that required for a dignified life, is a false god.
The god that we make of pleasure and comfort, soothing our senses
with physical satisfaction and enjoyment, is a false god.
The god that we make of security, lulling us to sleep in the midst
of a world filled with chaos and turmoil, is a false god.
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but give to God what
is God’s.” What is God’s is the only place of God,
and so we “give the Lord glory and honor. We who belong to God
the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ know that all the gods of the
nations are things of naught,” and so we reject the false gods
of power, possessions, pleasure, and security. We place all our hope
in the “almighty and ever-living God” who is “our
source of power and inspiration.”
Since it has been entrusted to the Church to reveal the mystery of God, who is the ultimate goal of humans, it opens up to us at the same time the meaning of our own existence, that is, the innermost truth about ourselves. The Church truly knows that only God, whom it serves, meets the deepest longings of the human heart, which is never fully satisfied by what this world has to offer.Vatican II, Constitution on the Church
in the Modern World, 1965:41