March 23/Fourth Thursday of Lent
Our fathers made a calf in Horeb and adored a molten image;
They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. ~ Ps 106.19-20
I’ve always found the notion of “quality time” in human relationships a bit suspect. Sometimes, of course, it’s the best we can do. But an emotional epiphany or an expression of need can’t be predicted; moments of true connection do not happen according to a schedule. What matters is simply that we put someone else first, prioritize presence, give open-ended time to a beloved person. And that’s also true of our relationship with God. Some of us give him the “quality time” of Sunday mornings, but otherwise insist upon calling the shots ourselves, chasing after the idols we have created. It’s tempting to think that we can have it all – that our obsessions, our distractions, our insistence on autonomy, all these can co-exist with a flourishing relationship with God. But in fact, there is a tradeoff. In worshiping our self-made gods, we inevitably put our Lord second, exchanging the truth and glory of the living God for, as the psalmist derisively describes it, “the image of a grass-eating bullock.” Whether that idol is a curated Instagram profile, professional success, a perfectly-toned body, or money, the fundamental problem is that it diverts our adoring gaze from God to ourselves. As C. S. Lewis observed in The Weight of Glory, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.” Only God, whose mystery and might are far beyond human telling, deserves our adoration. Let us pray for the wherewithal to recognize and dismantle our false gods and to bow down before the one who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
God, Keep my heart open to receive your word, and my knee bent to worship you in your glory, today and forevermore. Amen.
To hear the Collegiate Church of St Mary Warwick Choir sing “O for a Closer Walk with God,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-iJxtsJ0XE
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032323.cfm
