Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Today's Mass Readings

As we get closer to Holy week, the reference to Jesus’ suffering and death will get ever more direct and real. Not only that, the connection between the events relating to his death and resurrection will be interpreted in light of the Old Testament, so that Jesus is presented as the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises. Thus in today’s first reading from the Book of Numbers, the Israelites are saved from the seraph serpents by gazing upon the bronze serpent that is lifted up for them. The early church saw this as foreshadowing Jesus, the One lifted up on the cross for us, by whose “lifting up” we are saved. In today’s reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM… (Jn 8:29). Of course, the early church saw this as foreshadowing Jesus, the One lifted up on the Cross for us, by whose “lifting up” we are saved. However, there is a crucial difference. Where as the Israelites merely gazed at a serpent, the people of the time of Jesus would look at the “I AM.” This gazing, this looking, this healing, this figure lifted up in inherently and incomparably better than the Old Testament lifting up and gazing.

The gospel reading ends with an interesting comment from John. He states that because Jesus spoke this way many came to believe in him (Jn 8: 30). On the other hand, the religious authorities became angry and would later accuse Jesus of blasphemy. Is this not repeated again in our times? There are those of us for whom salvation lies in gazing upon the Cross. We have given our lives to Christ. And then there are others for whom the Cross is empty of meaning. There are two things we can do in this context.

On the one hand, please let us keep our eyes firmly fixed on Christ lifted up for us. We will liturgically celebrate this lifting up of Christ a week from this Friday, on Good Friday. Let’s prepare ourselves for the solemn celebration of Triduum next week. For it is Christ lifted up on the cross on Good Friday, and risen again from the dead Easter Sunday, that saves us. On the other hand, Christ must be lifted up in our own lives. People, especially who do not believe in Christ, must now see Christ exalted in our lives, Our lives must now become the “pole” or the Cross on which Christ is lifted up.

What an honor for us to be the Cross on which Christ is exalted!

Jeff Morrow & Fr. Satish Joseph