Fourth Thursday of Lent

“Go down at once to your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved. They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them, making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it, sacrificing to it and crying out, ‘This is your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ The LORD said to Moses, “I see how stiff-necked this people is. Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation.”

We are constantly tempted to forget what God has done for us and to turn our backs on Him. We have selective memories about the past and tend to overlook those things God has done for us in favor of what is happening in our lives today. We disregard the graces, the miracles (great and small), and the love God has given us as we struggled to survive the trials and sufferings of our lives. We let the fears, doubts, pleasures, and distractions of the world weigh us down and claim all our attention. And in our moments of weakness, we make worldly things into our idols. We put our trust into molten calves made of money, power, possessions, pride, and other false gods. However, we, like Moses, must remain faithful to God and seek to help others do the same. When we recognize ourselves or others placing our faith in something other than God, then we must do everything in our power to smash the idol and renew our commitment to God. This is not easy to do when we feel pressured by the world or when we are suffering, but if we want to be worthy of eternal life, then we must resist these temptations and trust that even when we feel abandoned that God is with us and only wants the best for us.

What are worldly things tempt us away from God? How can we rid ourselves of these temptations and replace them with trust in God’s Divine Plan? How can we help others do the same?

O Lord, we want to be a great nation for you. Please, be patient with our failings.

Amen.