VOICE OF THE LOGOS (36): REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT, YEAR 1

The Joy of Being Remembered by God

First Reading: Exodus 32:7-14
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 105(106):19-23
Gospel: John 5:31-47
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There are few experiences in life as emotionally stirring as being remembered by someone we thought had forgotten us. A phone call from an old friend, an unexpected gift from a relative, or even a stranger recognizing us in a crowd can awaken a deep sense of worth. In contrast, one of the most painful human feelings is the sensation of being forgotten, neglected, or abandoned. Whether it is the aged parent left in a care home, the struggling parishioner who feels overlooked in the Church, a missed anniversary, or the young person wrestling with identity and unheard prayers… In all these, the cry of the human heart remains: “Has God forgotten me?” It is precisely in such an emotional and spiritual backdrop that the theme of being remembered by God finds its place. In this Laetare week, when the Church invites us to rejoice in anticipation of Easter’s new life, restoration, and renewal, this theme strikes a chord with fresh meaning. The readings of today present us with a God who remembers, a people who forget, and a joy that springs not from merit but from divine fidelity.

The First Reading from Exodus (32:7–14) emerges from a turbulent moment in Israel’s salvation history. The Israelites, freshly delivered from Egypt, have grown restless in Moses’ absence. They demand a tangible god and fashion the molten calf, turning away from the very God who brought them out of slavery. This narrative’s Sitz im Leben reflects the crisis of apostasy and leadership vacuums that the wilderness journey often provoked. The divine reaction is fierce: “Let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them.” Yet, what follows is extraordinary. Moses, acting not only as leader but as intercessor, appeals to God’s memory. He invokes the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. The Hebrew verb זָכַר (zākar) meaning “to remember,” although not explicitly used in the passage, underpins Moses’ plea: he is urging God to recall His covenantal loyalty. This appeal to memory is not an attempt to alter God’s nature but rather to bring forth His merciful character rooted in fidelity. The restoration that ensues is not deserved by the people but flows from the divine act of remembering. In this moment, Laetare joy finds its Old Testament foundation: God’s memory triumphs over our forgetfulness.

The responsorial psalm, Psalm 106, continues this line of reflection with a penitential recollection of Israel’s failure at Horeb. “They forgot the God who saved them,” the psalmist laments, reflecting a tragic human tendency to let divine wonders fade into irrelevance. The people exchanged the glory of God for the image of a grass-eating bullock. Yet the refrain interjects a hopeful refrain: “Remember us, O Lord, as you show favor to your people.” The cry is for restoration, not based on present righteousness, but on God’s consistent mercy. Here, the verb zākar explicitly appears, expressing the people’s yearning to be noticed again, to be held once more in the loving gaze of the Lord. The joy embedded in this psalm is not loud or triumphant, but quiet, like the joy of a forgotten child whose name is suddenly called. It speaks to every heart that has felt spiritually orphaned, every soul that has known the guilt of forgetting God but dares to hope that God still remembers.

In the Gospel reading, John 5:31–47, the idea of being remembered is sharpened through a Christological lens. The Sitz im Leben of this passage is the growing opposition to Jesus in Jerusalem after the healing at the pool of Bethesda, where Jesus had cured a man on the Sabbath. This act had drawn ire from the religious authorities, prompting Jesus to speak extensively about His relationship with the Father and the testimony that validates His mission. He challenges their source of joy and identity. They trust in Moses and the Law, yet they refuse the very one to whom Moses bore witness. He says, “I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.” The Greek verb often translated as “remember” in New Testament contexts is “mimnēskomai,” although it is not directly used in this passage. However, the concept is implied in Jesus’ reference to Scripture and Moses: the leaders claim to “remember” and revere Moses, yet they miss the one Moses pointed to. Their memory is selective and sterile. They remember words but not meaning, tradition but not fulfilment. Jesus, like Moses, stands in the breach, not pleading for a sinful people, but offering Himself as the fulfilment of all memory. He is the living covenant, the divine Word made flesh, who restores all those who come to Him. It is in this light that we can connect the idea of Siloam, the pool in John’s Gospel, whose name means “Sent.” Jesus is the one sent by the Father to restore sight, heal wounds, and renew what was lost. Being remembered by God, in Jesus, means being brought out of blindness into new light. It is the joy of no longer being forgotten, of being healed into visibility.

From these readings, several lessons emerge. First, there is the call to personal conversion. Many today live with the illusion that God has forgotten them because of their past sins, repeated failures, or spiritual lukewarmness. But these texts remind us that God’s memory is not like ours. His remembering is not simply cognitive recollection but active fidelity. To be remembered by God is to be loved, sought, forgiven, and restored. This should fill the Christian heart with joy, not pride. It is the joy of knowing that even when we forget God, He does not forget us.

Second, we must confront the many ways we, like Israel, forget God in our daily living. We fashion idols of career, relationships, and ideologies. We engage in liturgical worship but our hearts are far from the Lord. The Gospel’s harsh rebuke is meant for those who think they are close to God because of religious activity yet do not recognize Christ in the poor, the Eucharist, or in the Scriptures. If Lent is a desert, then Laetare Sunday is the blooming flower that announces hope. But that flower only blooms in the soil of repentance, humility, and a deep desire to be remembered again by God.

Finally, this theme invites us to imitate God’s memory in our relationships with others. In a culture of abandonment and indifference, to remember someone is a sacred act. We are called to remember the poor, the lonely, the elderly, the forgotten in our communities. Just as Moses stood in the breach to intercede for his people, we too are called to stand in the gap for others in prayer and presence. Easter is about new life, not only for ourselves but for all those we remember before God’s throne of mercy. To be remembered by God is to rejoice, and to remember others in love is to participate in the joy of God Himself.

O that today you would listen to his VOICE, harden not your hearts! (Ps. 95:7)

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Shalom!
© Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ
Seminário Padre Pedro Magnone, São Paulo, Brazil
nozickcjoe@gmail.com / fadacjay@gmail.com

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Have you prayed your rosary today?