Mount Sinai

Fr. Joachim Trytania

When Moses ascended Mount Sinai, he let the Israelites know he would be away for forty days and nights. They kept track of the days when Moses was away looking forward to his return, but towards the end of the fortieth day they became more and more concerned. They began to worry that Moses would never return. They began to fear the worst: they worried that they would never see him again, this leader on whom they were so totally dependant.

People gathered around Aaron, telling him: "Make us a god who will go before us; for as for Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has become of him." They wanted a tangible "god" that would be with them at all times. What the people told Aaron indicated that they still did not "get it." They had already heard the Divine Voice proclaim "I am the Eternal, your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt," yet they had quickly forgotten this essential belief.

One of the most difficult lessons of life is that we cannot have whatever we want whenever we want it. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve have just about anything, except for the fruit from the forbidden tree. And, of course, that was exactly what they craved. Now that the people had entered into a holy covenant with God, they had been promised some very wonderful rewards. In return, the one basic belief that they had to uphold was to recognize God and not have any other gods besides this God. And that is what they now found difficult to do. All of us tend to yearn for what is forbidden, and the Israelites were no exception. They acted on their desires. So they created a molten calf and they proclaimed before it, "These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Their reaction was total betrayal and in addition to turning to idolatry, the Israelites publicly proclaimed the very opposite of the Divine teaching that Moses would bring down from Mount Sinai - that God brought them out of Egypt. Their idol worship was soon accompanied by licentious behavior and even murder. Idolatry was not unique to the Israelites, nor was it limited to ancient times. While the actions of many people today may not be quite as extreme, at times they resemble some type of idolatry. For example the pursuit of happiness - and in particular - eternal youth has become almost a religious quest. Many people undergo extensive plastic and reconstructive surgeries, thinking that these procedures will magically transform their bodies and their lives. Perfect love will be achieved, professional achievement attained, and social acceptance guaranteed if only tucks are taken here, fat suctioned there, and a little bit of collagen (silicon) injected into just the right spots. Isn't this search for bodily perfection sometimes a form of self-worship? There are many types of golden calves around us today, even though we do not recognize them as such.

In spite of the people's infidelity, God, who had already promised not to destroy the people, now promised to remain with them -- forever.