They have quickly turned from the way and have made for themselves a molten calf."

The idol could be power, pleasure, money or sensuality, all of which cloud our vision of God's ways.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Ex 32:7-14

Then Yahweh said to Moses,

"Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt,

have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for

themselves a molten calf; they have bowed down before it and

sacrificed to it and said: ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you out of Egypt.’”

 

And the Lord said to Moses, “I see that these people are a stiffnecked people.

Now just leave me that my anger may blaze against  them. I will destroy them, but of you I will make a great nation.”

But Moses calmed the anger of Yahweh, his God, and said, “Why, O Yahweh,

should your anger burst against your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt

with such great power and with a mighty hand? Let not the Egyptians say:

 

‘The Lord brought them out with evil intent, for the promise you yourself swore:

I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven,

and all this land I spoke about I will give to them as an everlasting inheritance."

The Lord then changed his mind and would not yet harm his people.

 

Ps 106:19-20, 21-22, 23 Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊       

Jn 5:31-47*

If I bore witness to myself, my testimony would be worthless. But Another One is bearing witness to me,

and I know that his testimony is true when he bears witness to me.

John also bore witness to the truth when you sent messengers to him, but I do not seek such human testimony;

I recall this for you, so that you may be saved. (...) You search in the Scriptures, thinking that in them you will find life;

yet Scripture bears witness to me. But you refuse to come to me, that you may live.

 

I am not seeking human praise; but I know that the love of God is not within you,

for I have come in my Father's name and you do not accept me. If another comes in his own name,

you will accept him. As long as you seek praise from one another, instead of seeking the glory which comes from the only God,

how can you believe? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father. Moses himself, in whom you placed your hope,

accuses you. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me.

But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?

 

Gospel Reflection ：

Let's examine our motives.

A seminarian once said to me that he thought Saint Teresa of Avila's account of the spiritual life in her Interior Castle

was like a game of snakes and ladders. We climb up to God and then in the blink of an eye we slip down again.

This sudden loss of close relationship with God is described in Exodus when God says,

"They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for themselves a molten calf."

No matter how close to God we become, we can be tempted to abandon him and replace him with idols.

The idol could be power, pleasure, money or sensuality, all of which cloud our vision of God's ways.

 

Yet another idol, mentioned by Jesus in the Gospel, is praise. An idol is a misuse of a created thing,

and so in itself the thing isn't bad. Likewise, praise is good in the right place. It affirms and supports others.

But if we turn all our attention to gaining praise,

our motives will have changed from doing things out of love to doing them for acclaim.

Let us examine our motives so that we can keep climbing the ladder to God.