His Word Today: The golden calf

The Adoration of the Golden Calf
Nicholas Poussin (1594-1665)

Good morning everyone,

In today's first reading, we find the well-known scene where Moses is standing on top of the mountain with God.  Moses is enjoying his time - like Peter, James and John would later on (Mt 17:4).  In this case, Moses is so caught up in the joy of the moment that he is unaware of what is happening at the base of the mountain.  God is the one who sends him out on his mission:  Go down at once to your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved (Ex 32:7).

Throughout the history of God's relationship with his people, he has always wanted to be close to us, yet we are the ones who always seem to find ways to turn our backs, and when we do, eventually, we lose our focus.  At first we may experience some guilt about our insistence on living life on our own - without paying attention to our faith - but eventually, we become numb to that pain too ... In the meanwhile, God is still watching - sometimes from a distance - hoping that we will change our depraved ways and come back to him.

Have I turned away from God?  Can I identify the golden calves in my life - the false images of God that I choose to worship (cf Ex 32:8)?

Jesus came to show us the way to the Father (Jn 5:43) - like Moses was sent to the Israelites to remind them that they were not alone.

Who are the people in my life that remind me of the tender love that God has for me, the ones who challenge me to not forget the fact that God loves me, even though I may have lost my focus, even though I may have become numb to the pain of trying to convince myself that I can live without Him?

Have a great day.