Monday
of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Exodus
32:15-24.30-34; Matthew 13:31-35)
In today’s
first reading the Israelites commit the gravest of sins. According to the Ten Commandments, the first
is: “The Lord alone is God; you shall have no other gods before him.” The people not only forgotten the Lord; they
have accepted another god as their own. They
have violated the covenant they have just made with God to worship a ludicrous
statue.
To his
credit Moses identifies with the people in this rejection. Realizing that the covenant has been
violated, he destroys the document containing the written agreement. This act alienates himself along with the
rest of Israel from God. Like Moses Jesus
in time will identify himself with the sins of the people. He will suffer death as punishment for the
sins of every human being.
Everyday we
remember and give thanks to God for Jesus’ noble act. It has saved us from final death and
oblivion. In lieu of punishment for our
individual and collective sins, through and with Jesus we can look forward to
eternal life. it is a free and
unimaginably generous gift. Yet it still requires faith on our part which is a
willingness to follow Jesus.
