What's Your Molten Calf?

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

(Click Here for Readings)

Exodus 32:7-14
The Lord said to Moses, "Go down at once to your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved.  They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them, making themselves a molten calf and worshiping it, sacrificing to it and crying out, 'This is your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!"

Gospel of John 5:31-47
"You search the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf.  But you do not want to come to me to have life...."

Testimony on his behalf Do you believe in God with all your heart, mind and strength?  Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?  Would you be willing to die for the faith?  What if you lived during the time of Jesus and heard him defending himself against the accusation of the Jews.  Would you believe Jesus and testify on his behalf or would you crucify him right on the spot?  Personally, I would believe in Jesus without an ounce of doubt!  In fact, I'd courageously join Mary Magdalene and other females as a disciple.  Forget those pesky Pharisees poo-pooing everything Jesus ever did or say!  I'd desire to preserve his life and teachings, spreading his good news all over antiquity....

What is your molten calf?  I find it incredibly entertaining and downright sad that the Israelites,  under the protection of not only Moses but the Lord himself, decided to worship a molten calf.  Ridiculous!  Far fetched!  Incredibly ignorant and stupid! These people just didn't  think.  I guess they got so tired of the manna, quail, and 40 long hot years in the desert that they felt the need to be protected by an inanimate object. Thank God these people (sort of) learned their lesson.  A golden calf is no substitute for God!

The "molten calf" in our life doesn't necessarily have to be a statue of a golden cow placed neatly on a prayer table. A molten calf can be anything that we treat as a god:  money, power, sex, material goods, etc.  Our "-ism" culture makes it fairly easy to "worship" the pleasures of life instead of God.  Who wants to pray all of the time to some invisible "thing" when cash awaits you, sex is easily available, and you're the most powerful person in town? Yikes!

Our "molten calf" gets boring after a while, if you think about it.  A person can only accumulate so much wealth and have so much sex until they become broke and impotent.   "Molten" calves are shallow idols.  They don't love you back.  They don't care about you.  Heck, they don't even know you exist.  God knows you're there!  He's looking after you with the help of his heavenly angels and saints! Why turn away and worship material stuff?

Let us turn away from the "molten calf" that we may cling to and start worshiping the Lord.  Sometimes we become addicted to the gold that the "molten calf" is composed of.  Why don't we join "-ism Anonymous" and make a commitment to worship Our Lord in heaven instead of material possessions/acknowledgements so popular on earth.  Trust me, it will do the eternal soul a heck of a lot of good!

-J.