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March 31, 2022The linkages among today's Mass readings offer opportunities for contemplation on several levels. Intercessory prayer is one of them. In the first reading from Exodus, the Lord tells Moses that the Hebrew people have made for themselves a molten calf that they are worshiping, "sacrificing to it and crying out, 'This is your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!'" (Exodus 32:8). These actions by God's People, whom He has just saved from their 400-plus year bondage by the Egyptians, seem unthinkable to us. How could they so easily and quickly forget what God has just done for them?
Lest we ourselves are quick to pass judgment on the Hebrew people, it may be worth reflecting upon those times in our life where we have sinned against God, despite the plentitude of blessings and gifts we've received from Him. In any case, God then tells Moses: "Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation" (Exodus 32:10). What does Moses do next? He intercedes on behalf of the Hebrew people, asking for God's Mercy. God responds in the affirmative to Moses' intercessory prayer: "So the Lord relented in the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people" (Exodus 32; 14). The Responsorial Psalm reflects this as well: "Then he [God] spoke of exterminating them, but Moses ... withstood him in the breach to turn back his destructive wrath" (Psalm 106: 23).
This brings us to the Gospel. Jesus tells the Jews that, despite his testimony, which is "greater than John's," they do not accept him (John 5:31-47). Jesus says: "The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me" (John 5:36). To be sure, Jesus' intercession is far superior to that of any other person who has ever lived or will live. Not only does Jesus intercede for us, but He saves us, through His passion, death, and resurrection, which we will commemorate during Holy Week. Today's Verse before the Gospel makes clear: "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life" (John 3:16). Intercessory prayer is integral to our Catholic Faith. Let us ask Our Lady's intercession for us, seeking God's Grace to help us to actively seek intercession on our behalf, as well as to offer intercessory prayers on behalf of others.
