March 14, 2013

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Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent 
Lectionary: 247

Reading 1EX 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.

The Lord and Moses were discussing the Law on the mountaintop, when God said to Moses, "Go back down to your people, they are doing immoral things."

They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,
making for 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!’
The LORD said to Moses,
“I see how stiff-necked this people is.
Let me alone, then,
that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.
Then I will make of you a great nation.”

Then God tested Moses.  He said, "I see that these people are unfit to live righteously.  Let me destroy them and start anew with your offspring." 

But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying,
“Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people,
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt
with such great power and with so strong a hand?
Why should the Egyptians say,
‘With evil intent he brought them out,
that he might kill them in the mountains
and exterminate them from the face of the earth’?
Let your blazing wrath die down;
relent in punishing your people.
Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel,
and how you swore to them by your own self, saying,
‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky;
and all this land that I promised,
I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.’“

But, just as Abraham had done before him, Moses withstood God's anger in the breach.  And he replied, "God, why should the Egyptians say that you brought these people out into the desert only to murder them.  Remember the promise you made to Abraham, Isaac and Israel that you would make their descendants more numerous than the stars"

So the LORD relented in the punishment
he had threatened to inflict on his people.

And God relented.

Lol!  Their just lucky it wan't me.  Cause I would have said, "Yeah, ok."

Personally, I don't think God ever intended to do harm to the Hebrews.  I think it was a test like Abraham bringing Isaac to the mountain to be sacrificed.  But I find it funny that both God and Moses disown the Israelites.  They each refer to them as "your" people.

Responsorial PsalmPS 106:19-20, 21-22, 23

R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.Our fathers made a calf in Horeb
and adored a molten image;
They exchanged their glory
for the image of a grass-eating bullock.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Remember us God as you remembered our forefathers.  Our forefathers turned to idols although they had seen your marvelous works.

They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

They forgot all the wonderful things you had done for them.

Then he spoke of exterminating them,
but Moses, his chosen one,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destructive wrath.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Then God spoke of destroying them, but Moses  interceded for his people.  And turned back the wrath of God.

GospelJN 5:31-47

Jesus said to the Jews:
“If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.
But there is another who testifies on my behalf,
and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.
You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.

Jesus said to the Hebrews, "If I were my own witness, you would be right to reject it.  But I have another witness on my behalf.  I'm not talking about St. John the Baptist, although he is my witness as well."

I do not accept human testimony,
but I say this so that you may be saved.
He was a burning and shining lamp,
and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.
But I have testimony greater than John’s.

I only remind you of John so that you may listen to him and be saved.  He brought great light to the world, but now he is gone.       For a short while you believed him.  But I'm not talking about any human witness.  For I have greater witness than that.

The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,
these works that I perform testify on my behalf
that the Father has sent me.

The signs and miracles which my Father sent me to do, speak mightily in my behalf.

Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.
But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
and you do not have his word remaining in you,
because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.

And yet again, my Father has Himself spoken in my behalf.  You heard His voice, but you did not listen to Him.  His word did not remain in you because you don't believe in me, the Only Begotten Son of the Father.

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.

You search the Scriptures because you think they will save you.  And they speak about me, but you don't come to me to be saved.

“I do not accept human praise;
moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you.
I came in the name of my Father,
but you do not accept me;
yet if another comes in his own name,
you will accept him.

The funny thing is that I come before you in my Father's name, but you won't accept me.  Yet if a human comes in the name of a human, you will accept him.  But I do not accept human praise.

How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another
and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?
Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:
the one who will accuse you is Moses,
in whom you have placed your hope.
For if you had believed Moses,
you would have believed me,
because he wrote about me.
But if you do not believe his writings,
how will you believe my words?”

How can you believe me when you accept the praise of humans but do not seek to please God?  Don't think that I will condemn you before my Father.  I won't need to.  Moses, in whom you have placed all your hope, he will condemn you, because he wrote about me in the Scriptures.  But you don't believe him.  How then, will you believe me?