psalm 106 - they exchanged their glory - 4th week lent thursday

Two things from psalm 106 our responsorial psalm.  First when Israel worshiped the golden calf the psalm says, "they exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock.  They exchanged their glory."  When we commit sin we do not debase God, rather we debase ourselves.  When we hate, when we take revenge, when we kill, we do not debase God, we debase our humanity, we are making ourselves less human.  This is the effect of sin.  Sin does not harm God, we harm ourselves by sin.

Second, when God threatened to destroy Israel because of their idolatry, psalm 106 say that Moses withstood God on the breach to turn back his destructive wrath.  Standing on the breach means Moses was standing between God and people ready receive the brunt and the blows of God's wrath and in effect protecting and therefore offering his life for God's people.  As religious this is our mission.  Religious life is lived not for ourselves.  It is lived not for our sake but for others, it should be a life ready to stand on the breach for the sake of God's people.

Psalm 106 is both a statement of fact and a prayer, a wish.