In the Spirit of Feria Tertia infra Hebdomadam IV in Quadragesima
As we enter deeper into this holy season of Lent, the Church, in her wisdom, presents us with readings that illuminate both the justice and mercy of God. Today’s lessons from Exodus 32:7-14 and John 7:14-31 call us to reflect on the tension between divine wrath and divine patience, between human rebellion and God’s unrelenting offer of grace.
Moses: The Intercessor for a Stiff-necked People
In Exodus 32:7-14, we find Moses standing before the wrath of God, pleading for the sinful people of Israel. They have turned away from the Lord, fashioning for themselves a golden calf and engaging in idolatrous worship. God declares:
“I have seen this people, and behold it is a stiff-necked people: let me alone, that my wrath may be kindled against them, and that I may destroy them.” (Ex 32:9-10)
The severity of God’s words strikes us: He, who delivered Israel with mighty wonders, is now ready to destroy them. Yet, Moses intercedes. He reminds God of His covenant, of His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And the Lord relents, not because He changes, but because His justice is always accompanied by mercy.
St. Augustine, commenting on this passage, writes:
“The sentence of God is spoken as though He willed something different, that He might bring forth the devoted prayer of the saints, through which the predestined effects of His mercy are fulfilled.” (De Civitate Dei, 22.2)
This passage thus reveals the power of intercession. Moses is a type of Christ, the great Mediator who stands before the Father, pleading for sinful humanity. In this Lenten season, we, too, are called to imitate Moses—to pray fervently for those who have strayed from the truth, that they may be brought back into God’s mercy.
Christ: The Rejected Teacher and the Wellspring of Life
In John 7:14-31, we encounter another moment of divine patience. Christ, teaching in the Temple, is met with resistance:
“How doth this man know letters, having never learned?” (Jn 7:15)
The people, blinded by their own expectations, refuse to recognize Him. They murmur, they question, and yet Jesus continues to teach, offering them the path to salvation:
“If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink.” (Jn 7:37)
Just as Israel rejected Moses and turned to idols, so too do the people of Christ’s time reject Him, preferring their own wisdom over divine truth. St. John Chrysostom, reflecting on this scene, remarks:
“They wondered, yet they believed not; they inquired, yet they learned not. The more they heard, the more they were blinded, for they received not His words with faith.” (Homilies on John, 51)
How often do we, too, resist the call of Christ in our lives? How often do we, like the Israelites, fashion for ourselves golden calves—not of metal, but of pride, of worldly attachments, of stubbornness in sin?
A Call to True Worship and Conversion
Both readings today remind us of the urgency of conversion. God, in His justice, sees the sinfulness of His people, yet in His mercy, He offers them a chance to return. Moses intercedes for Israel, prefiguring the perfect mediation of Christ, who offers not just prayers, but His very life as an atonement for our sins.
As we journey through this Lenten season, let us heed the warnings given in these Scriptures:
- Let us abandon our idols, those things that take priority over God in our lives.
- Let us listen to the teachings of Christ, not with skepticism, but with faith.
- Let us pray for sinners, as Moses did, that all may return to the Lord.
For as St. Ambrose reminds us:
“The Lord is not forgetful of His promises, but waits for our conversion, that He may show mercy.” (Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam, 7.230)
May this Lenten season be a time of true conversion, that we may approach the Paschal mysteries with hearts renewed by grace.
Domine, miserere nobis!