Commentary: The first reading takes place at the time after the Exodus when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. The people were becoming weary of the long journey to the promised land. They began complaining to Moses and wishing they were back in Egypt in slavery where at least they had food and drink. In essence, they doubted God, not trusting in his ongoing provision for their needs and direction of their journey. As a result of their doubts, ?the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,? which were poisonous serpents causing many deaths among the people. This may seem harsh, but it illustrates the severity of sin, which always has consequences. The serpents were there to teach the Israelites a lesson and draw them to repentance. In fact, they did realize the error of their ways and repent, asking Moses to pray that God would bring healing. The LORD offered healing from the effects of their sin by instructing Moses to make a bronze serpent on a pole upon which the Israelites will gaze for healing. This seemingly odd solution points forward to the cross, which we especially celebrate today. We are all afflicted by the ?poison? of sin and we need healing. God offers that healing in the cross. Similar to the bronze serpent scenario, anyone who gazes upon the cross can be healed of their sin.
Commentary: This beautiful hymn of praise to Jesus Christ conveys the amazing reality of Christ?s sacrifice. Jesus is fully God, but he took on the form of man and become a slave (or servant) of God and humanity. In other words, he offered himself completely. Being God, he did not have to come to earth and die on the cross, but he freely chose to give himself for our sake. He was humble and was obedient to God?s will even to the point that he died on a horrible instrument of execution, the cross. But that is not the end of the story. Although he was ?obedient to death,? through his death he, in fact, conquered death. For he rose again and, thus, offered healing from the poisonous effects of sin. As a result, God exalted him (or raised him up?like the bronze serpent), making him the center of our worship. To Jesus Christ, and him crucified, we bend our knee and confess our praise, for by gazing at the cross we can find healing from our sin. As we say in the beautiful prayer used in the Stations of the Cross: ?We Adore You, O Christ, and We Praise You. Because by Your Holy Cross, You Have Redeemed the World.?
Commentary: In today?s Gospel, the connection between the bronze serpent in the desert and the cross of Christ becomes explicit. Jesus explains to Nicodemus that just as the serpent was raised up for the healing of the Israelites from the affliction of the serpents, so must Jesus (?the Son of Man?) be raised up on the cross for the healing of his people from the affliction of sin. Like the serpents, sin is deadly. It brings spiritual death, from which we must be healed to live. The cross of Christ is the healing remedy. For his sacrificial death atoned for our sins, offering us life in him. As the famous verse of John 3:16 explains, the sacrifice of Jesus is the result of God?s great love for the world. Just like in the scenario of the serpents, God does not leave his people stuck in the mud of sin. In his mercy and love, he offers healing (i.e. a solution to the problem we have gotten ourselves into). God does not cause us to sin. He did not create evil. We got ourselves into the mess of sin by choosing to rebel against God through disobeying his commandments. But God has offered the solution to get us out of the mess. That solution is Jesus Christ becoming man in order to die on the cross. The purpose of Jesus coming in the first place was to die for our sins. As the Gospel states, ?God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.? Jesus came, he died, and he rose for our salvation. Today, on this Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we lift high the cross, being reminded that by believing in Jesus Christ crucified and keeping our gaze on him, we can be healed from the poison of sin and given new life.
Taking it Home:
Take time to do an Examination of Conscience, which is simply reflecting on where we have fallen short in our love of God and neighbor. We all struggle with sin. Reflect on where, in particular, you struggle and then ask God to bring healing there. If necessary, go to Confession to experience God?s healing mercy in that beautiful sacrament.
Gaze upon a crucifix and reflect upon the profound mystery of the cross. Ponder the agony Jesus suffered on the cross and take time in prayer to thank him for suffering for you.