One can imagine the pain Jesus experienced in speaking to the Jews who could not accept Him as He truly was. They saw the miracles He had worked with e.g. the blind, the paralytic. Yet they refused to believe Him. Failure to receive God's envoy is the cause for condemnation. Even with the knowledge of the scriptures, one may not necessarily believe in Jesus because access to the knowledge of God can come only through Jesus. How do we fare in this aspect of our Christian living? Does our knowledge of the scriptures lead us to God or for human or self-glory?

During this Lenten season, let us reflect deeper into our relationship with Jesus. Who is Jesus to us? Is our faith a witness or testimony to others especially those who do not believe in Jesus?

We know for sure that God loves us unconditionally (Ex. 32:14) as He relented and did not bring on his people the disaster He had threatened. Do we truly believe in this and know how to respond to His love? It is also in this reading that we see how Moses' absence in the mountain had led the people to turn to idolatry and how Moses pleaded with God to forgive the people.

Let us reflect on our reality today. We see how quickly people return to old habits when they lack strong leadership or give in to fears. What does this say to me?