Thursday of the Fourth Week

Reflection

It seems like everywhere we turn today there are temptations facing us: our own golden calves being touted by someone or ubiquitous self-aggrandizing behavior. “They” pop up on our computers, on our televisions, in our newspapers and magazines, bombarding us with the temptations of the here and now. We do find ourselves “living in a material world” but we have the choice before us a thousand times a day of whether or not to join in the frenzy. And if we’re honest, most of us have gone down that road more often than we might like to admit. Let’s face it: the material world looks pretty good. Is it any surprise that the Israelites in their flight from Egyptian slavery were tempted to make and worship a pretty, shiny object? Or that Jesus found it necessary to speak of testimony and belief to the people he preached among?

As humans, we are weak and fallible. It is often reassuring to be distracted by temporal items or people who tell us what we want to hear. Moses became an intermediary protecting the Israelites from God’s wrath. Jesus became man in order to fulfill the Scriptures through His life, His teachings and His works. Yet we are a hesitant, troubled and stiff-necked people. And still the Lord favors us.

Faith is difficult to sustain and it suffers under repeated assaults from many directions. In place of faith, we seek proof constantly, often something tangible, to reassure us of His presence and support for us. The Israelites of Moses’ time built an idol to worship because they felt the need for something visible and valuable. What are the golden calves that we should acknowledge and let go of in our daily lives?

Prayer

Lord, help me to focus and quiet myself, to look past the material and human distractions that pull my attention away from You on a daily basis. Help me to listen for Your voice and open myself to place my faith and trust in You.

John Devlin, Professor of Fine Arts, Theatre

Scripture

First Reading: Exodus 32:7-14
Psalm 106:19-23
Gospel: John 5:31-47

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website