Daily Gospel Reflection March 31st 2020
From Mount Hor the children of Israel set out on the Red Sea
road,
to bypass the land of Edom.
But with their patience worn out by the journey,
the people complained against God and Moses,
“Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,
where there is no food or water?
We are disgusted with this wretched food!”
to bypass the land of Edom.
But with their patience worn out by the journey,
the people complained against God and Moses,
“Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,
where there is no food or water?
We are disgusted with this wretched food!”
In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,
which bit the people so that many of them died.
Then the people came to Moses and said,
“We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.
Pray the LORD to take the serpents away from us.”
So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,
“Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live.”
Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,
and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
which bit the people so that many of them died.
Then the people came to Moses and said,
“We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.
Pray the LORD to take the serpents away from us.”
So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,
“Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live.”
Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,
and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“I am going away and you will look for me,
but you will die in your sin.
Where I am going you cannot come.”
So the Jews said,
“He is not going to kill himself, is he,
because he said, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?”
He said to them, “You belong to what is below,
I belong to what is above.
You belong to this world,
but I do not belong to this world.
That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.
For if you do not believe that I AM,
you will die in your sins.”
So they said to him, “Who are you?”
Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning.
I have much to say about you in condemnation.
But the one who sent me is true,
and what I heard from him I tell the world.”
They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father.
So Jesus said to them,
“When you lift up the Son of Man,
then you will realize that I AM,
and that I do nothing on my own,
but I say only what the Father taught me.
The one who sent me is with me.
He has not left me alone,
because I always do what is pleasing to him.”
Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.
“I am going away and you will look for me,
but you will die in your sin.
Where I am going you cannot come.”
So the Jews said,
“He is not going to kill himself, is he,
because he said, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?”
He said to them, “You belong to what is below,
I belong to what is above.
You belong to this world,
but I do not belong to this world.
That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.
For if you do not believe that I AM,
you will die in your sins.”
So they said to him, “Who are you?”
Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning.
I have much to say about you in condemnation.
But the one who sent me is true,
and what I heard from him I tell the world.”
They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father.
So Jesus said to them,
“When you lift up the Son of Man,
then you will realize that I AM,
and that I do nothing on my own,
but I say only what the Father taught me.
The one who sent me is with me.
He has not left me alone,
because I always do what is pleasing to him.”
Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.
Dear Friends,
Again, today we
hear two readings that proclaim a powerful message for us. In the Book of
Numbers, God sends the serpents to bite the people, why did he punish them in
this manner? They had experienced the power of God as he liberated them
from their slavery in Egypt. He gave
them Manna, water and quail on a daily basis.
He guided them and protected them in the desert. He was with them
day and night and they should have been grateful, but they still complain. God then allows the serpents of the desert to
bite the people, which in turn, serves to reorient their spirits toward an
attitude of gratitude for God’s gifts and guidance. Once the people
repent, God gives them an image to focus upon and they are healed and restored.
In the Gospel,
Jesus brings a message of life and he invites all to follow him. He
speaks of the Love and Mercy of his Father.
He offers the people a vision of the life to come but they refuse to
accept him and his message. So, Jesus says God will give them a sign. It
will be lifted up before the people, and those that look upon it and believe
will be saved.
Jesus words foreshadow the
events of Calvary. When was the last time we really looked at the sacrifice of
Jesus on the Cross? If you have a cross or crucifix in your home, take a
moment to hold it in your hand, to ponder the great love Jesus has for you.
Consider all that our God did for you, so that you might live in this life and
be with him in the next? The Cross is a sign of his great love, even in
those times when we respond as his ungrateful people. Let the love of the cross reorient our spirit
and make our grateful hearts sing for God’s continued gifts and loving
guidance.
How can we live the readings for today?
- Make
a list of those things you are most grateful for during this time. Add to
it each day as you discover new ways God is present in your home, your
family, our world.
- Place
your cross in a place of honor on your prayer table. If you do not have a
cross in your home, make a simple cross with sticks and twine.
- It
is only human to complain, and we seem to have an abundance of things to
choose from in that department. When you feel like complaining or venting,
make a conscious effort to write that complaint in the form of a prayer of
petition. Place it on your prayer table and give it to God.
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