Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent - March 31, 2022

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Exodus 32:7-14      John 5:31-47

Today’s first reading and psalm recount the sinfulness of people, advocacy on their behalf by Moses, and God’s ultimate mercy. While Moses is on the mountain, the Israelites make and worship the golden calf. They have failed to stay focused on the way the Lord had shown. At the Lord’s suggestion that His wrath wipe out the people, Moses “implores the Lord, his God.” And the Lord shows mercy rather than inflicting punishment.

In November, I had the honor of spending time with my mom’s closest cousin in the days and hours before his death after years of cancer treatments. John was a Benedictine Oblate, focusing not on any golden calf but on a simple life of daily Mass, prayer, service, and solitude. In spite of what I saw as a holy life, he feared purgatory upon his death. In the last couple weeks before his death, his parish priest visited him, and he received the Eucharist daily from friends who would come to pray with him. I don’t know if these conversations and prayers eased his fears, but they were a comfort to me. I was so grateful to hear repeatedly from them: let’s pray together, we are praying for your peace, you are a faithful servant, you have allowed your great suffering to bring us all closer to God, and you are a beloved child of a merciful God who is eager to greet you. So many people brought him the assurance of God’s mercy, a mercy that, even if we don’t deserve it, will be given to us.

In spite of God’s wrath caused by His people turning to the golden calf, God shows mercy. I am comforted by the pleading of Moses and the prayers of John’s friends and family. I believe God hears us when we pray. And I trust in God’s mercy when, like the Israelites, we are distracted by the golden calves that tempt us away from our focus on God.

Q: What are the golden calves that tempt me away from God’s love?


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