“You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, II Section, Art. 1)
The First Commandment, which the Catechism summarizes in these terms, implies the prohibition of worshiping other gods (cf. Ex 20:4–6).
By worshiping God and serving Him with our whole heart, as the First Commandment exhorts us, we find our deepest destiny. The whole meaning of our existence is summed up in these brief words with simple and truthful beauty. When we hear that we are called to give all honor and glory to our Heavenly Father and to dedicate our lives to His service, our hearts should leap for joy.
Can anything be more beautiful than this? Of course not! Will our Father rejoice if we do so? Not only that, but He also promises us eternal life in communion with Him and all who belong to Him.
What prevents us from experiencing this joy and making it a part of our lives? There are many reasons, because the “strange gods” — let us call them idols — want to deprive us of this joy. In the Message to Sister Eugenia, our Father points out that men often have the wrong image of Him, even fearing Him. Undoubtedly, it is the enemy of mankind who sows this fear in us. If one has a false image of the Father, it is difficult to approach Him with confidence. Wrong thoughts and ideas, together with the corresponding feelings, dominate and block the path of trust.
That is why it is so important that those who know, honor, and love the Heavenly Father reflect in their lives the presence of the One who exclaims: “To you, My creatures, whom I love as My Son Jesus — and He and I are one — I say as to Him, ‘You are My beloved children and in you I am well pleased.’”