Daily Retreat 03/30/06

2006 Mar 30 Thu: Lenten Weekday

Ex 32: 7-14/ Ps 105(106): 19-20. 21-22. 23/ Jn 5: 31-47

From today’s readings: "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 .... They exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock.... But you do not want to come to Me to have life....."

Poor Exchange

Idolatry is obviously idiotic - it seems incomprehensible that anyone would commit such a stupid sin as those Israelites did who turned away from the Lord and, as summarized in the psalm, "They exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock!" What a poor exchange!

And yet, even though it might be hard to find many people worshiping molten calves today, we would be sadly mistaken to boast that in our "enlightened" age, there are no transgressions against the first commandment. On the contrary, in fact, there are many sins of idolatry in our age, because whenever anyone treats a thing or another person as more important than God, then the Lord’s rightful place has effectively been displaced by a modern variant of the "grass-eating bullock."

So, for instance, if a person is willing to make formidable sacrifices in order to get ahead in his career, yet contents himself with the flimsiest excuses for missing Mass, or not praying daily, or dismissing charitable appeals, can it not be said that such a person treats his career as his god? Or, if a person is fanatical in his patriotism, but lukewarm in his faith, then clearly, his priorities prove his allegiance is not first to God!

Look closely at how you spend your time, energy, and money - is your offering of these things directed to the one true God, or to some contemporary reincarnation of a molten calf?