Daily Retreat 07/30/07
2007 Jul 30 Mon/ Peter Chrysologus, bp, dr
Ex 32:15-24. 30-34/ Ps 106:19-20. 21-22. 23/ Mt 13:31-35
From today’s readings:“As he drew near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing, and with that, Moses’ wrath flared up, so that he threw the tablets down and broke them on the base of the mountain.... Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.... All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables....”
Excuses, excuses!
When Moses asked Aaron why he had made an idol for the Israelites, Aaron could only retort with what is certainly among the most pathetic excuses in history: “The people gave me their gold jewelry, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out!” Such a pitiful reply would be laughable, if only it were not so tragically lamentable!
In all honesty, though, too many of us would have to admit that, when it comes to fumbling to justify our own sins, we’ve often appealed to excuses every bit as lame as the one offered by Aaron. Just as he claimed to be the victim of circumstances, so do you and I too often cast the blame for our own sins on other people and the complications of situations, when, in reality, our own guilt is just as real as Aaron’s was.
The simple fact is, excuses for sins never justify anyone - they only serve to make sins worse, by strengthening their staying power and muffling the God-given voice of conscience. Instead of clinging to sins with lousy excuses, the only way to find atonement for sin is to turn to God in soul-cleansing confession of sin, pleading, as Moses did, for His forgiveness, and then pulverizing sins with penance....
Ex 32:15-24. 30-34/ Ps 106:19-20. 21-22. 23/ Mt 13:31-35
From today’s readings:“As he drew near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing, and with that, Moses’ wrath flared up, so that he threw the tablets down and broke them on the base of the mountain.... Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.... All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables....”
Excuses, excuses!
When Moses asked Aaron why he had made an idol for the Israelites, Aaron could only retort with what is certainly among the most pathetic excuses in history: “The people gave me their gold jewelry, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out!” Such a pitiful reply would be laughable, if only it were not so tragically lamentable!
In all honesty, though, too many of us would have to admit that, when it comes to fumbling to justify our own sins, we’ve often appealed to excuses every bit as lame as the one offered by Aaron. Just as he claimed to be the victim of circumstances, so do you and I too often cast the blame for our own sins on other people and the complications of situations, when, in reality, our own guilt is just as real as Aaron’s was.
The simple fact is, excuses for sins never justify anyone - they only serve to make sins worse, by strengthening their staying power and muffling the God-given voice of conscience. Instead of clinging to sins with lousy excuses, the only way to find atonement for sin is to turn to God in soul-cleansing confession of sin, pleading, as Moses did, for His forgiveness, and then pulverizing sins with penance....
posted by FrPitstick | 7/28/2007
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