Thursday of the 4th week of Lent
First reading Exodus 32:7-14
By today’s reading we are invited to pause and look honestly at the state of our hearts. The reading from Exodus reminds us how easily the human heart strays, seeking security or satisfaction in what is tangible, controllable, or familiar—golden calves of our own making. This temptation is not foreign to us. These idols may be subtle: success, comfort, self-image, or even certain relationships. We are prone to shaping false gods that suit our desires: the idol of success that demands constant performance, the idol of control that fears surrender, the idol of pleasure that numbs our spiritual hunger, or the idol of self that resists any form of conversion. These idols are not merely external distractions—they dwell deep within us, subtly taking God’s place in our priorities, affections, and decisions. Lent is a grace-filled opportunity to name these idols with humility and courage, to recognize how they have distorted our vision and hardened our hearts. Lent invites us to name these false gods, to recognize where we have traded truth for illusion, and to let them go. In doing so, we make space again for the God who does not abandon His people, who calls us back not to punish but to restore. Lent is restoring God’s place in our life by removing the idols we created in our heart.
Don Giorgio