Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
In the first reading, Moses follows the instructions the Lord gave him to save the people by mounting a bronze serpent on a pole. Whoever looked upon it after being bitten lived. In the same way, Jesus says, he was to be lifted up on the cross so that everyone who believes in him will be redeemed and have eternal life. Little deaths surround me daily, and each day I sometimes think about ultimate death. Inasmuch as I am able to look at Christ throughout the day, I can unite these little deaths and the final one to Jesus’ crucifixion and its truth: Jesus saves us from sin and death for eternal life.
God, help me grasp your unconditional love. Time after time throughout salvation history, as in the time of Moses, you were merciful despite your people’s rejection of you. As Saint Paul says, “Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself . . . becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” For everyone who believes in the Son of Man, love such as this destroys sin and death.
Lord, how can I begin to understand the mystery of the cross? I ask for the grace today to fix my eyes on Jesus Christ lifted up on the cross. In participation with the crucifixion, I ask that you help me see that to redeem us from sin, this was necessary because, Lord, you are mercy itself. Whatever little sacrifices I have today, show me how to accept rather than shun them and sanctify them for your glory.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
