The Serpent and the Cross
The symbol of Israel’s sin, the saraph serpent (the Hebrew word saraph means burning), which threatened them with its poisonous bite, is transformed into an instrument of salvation. Moses made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, so that all who look upon it with an honest admission of guilt and sincere sorrow for their offenses, will be forgiven..
The first stone
Some people are very devoted to condemning. The religious leaders bring a woman to Jesus expecting him to condemn her, because, as they say, “Moses has ordered us in the Law to condemn women like this.” Earlier in his gospel, John has a very striking saying on the lips of Jesus, “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world…
In just over ten days time, the Easter Triduum will begin, at sunset on Holy Thursday. Today we pray for all the adults and children who will be baptised at Easter. And we ask that we may be fit and ready to renew our own baptismal promises.
Into the Valley of Death
One focus during Lent is to to reflect on our own death and to see our way through it. Whoever enters the valley of death does not walk alone. Jesus is with us because he’s been there before and knows what it is like. Moreover he promises us that just as he rose from the dead so will we. We will live again — in a new way, like a plant springing from the sown seed!
Nicodemus speaks out:
Nicodemus was a Pharisee who sought out Jesus under cover of darkness so as not to be seen consulting him. There he is again in today’s gospel, only this time he speaks out openly, challenging his fellow-Pharisees and the other Jewish leaders to give Jesus a fair hearing, and not to prejudge him. His peers have closed mind…
Knowing who Jesus really is:
By the term “Jews” St John nearly always means the Jewish religious leaders. His gospel tends to distinguish between the Jewish religious leaders and the people as a whole. It is not said that the Jewish people were out to kill him. That was what the leaders wanted; but the people also disparage Jesus when they say, “we all know where he comes from….
In a homily on this feast (1969) pope Paul VI noted how he lived an unknown life, the life of a simple artisan, with no sign of personal greatness. But that humble figure is revealed as being full of significance if we look at him attentively. He has those qualities which made him a great saint. The pope suggested that if we look carefully we find that Joseph’s life was greater than our first estimate of him. “The Gospel describes him as a Just Man (Mt. 1:19). No greater praise of virtue and no higher tribute to merit could be applied…
Seeing the bigger picture
Isaiah 40 to 55 (promising return from exile) and today’s section from St John both constitute a clear call to see the larger picture. The prophet thinks of God splitting the mountains to bring his people home from afar. Almost in the same breath he imagines this mighty God as a mother, tenderly loving the child of her womb…
Today we in Ireland pause from our lenten penances to honour Patrick, the apostle of the Irish. In our celebration of this solemn feast, we worship God, creator, redeemer and sanctifier, who brought our ancestors into the Christian fold through the preaching of St Patrick.
Patrick, Pastoral Theologian
Perhaps we are wrong to take Patrick’s statement about his ignorance at face value. To describe himself as a mere illiterate sinner was just a foil to highlight the glorious workings of God’s grace. His Confessio clearly reveals that..
Request willingly granted
Many people approached Jesus for help as he went around the villages. On this occasion a court official asked him to come to his home and cure his seriously ill son. This official was probably attached to the court of Herod Antipas. His request at first met with what seems like a refusal…
This Sunday we come to the midpoint of Lent. The season is half over, and the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus is nearer to us. On this midway Sunday, it is traditional to honour mothers, praying for those still with us and remembering those who have died.
God sent his only Son, not to condemn but to save us.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
Not just with words
If we use our Bible well, we have a rich resource of guidance for every occasion. But it’s not just knowing the words that matters. From them we might muster a nice verbal response and wrap a mantle of piety about our motives and so feel smug and self-righteous. But..
Two commandments into one
In the gospels the scribes or lawyers are generally portrayed as in conflict with Jesus . In today’s gospel, however, Jesus and a Jewish scribe are very much of the same mind. Jesus says to this particular scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Both are agreed on what..
Seeking what is right
Seeking basic human virtue — like compassion, forgiveness, prayer, understanding, loyalty, loving affection — makes the difference between heaven and hell, life and death. Jeremiah expressed this very clearly: “Only if you reform your ways and your deeds…will I [the Lord, your God] remain with you.”…
Banking on Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy says that laws do not exist for their own sake, but to help us show faithfulness to God. This fifth book of the Bible is not so much a “second law” (the Greek “Deutero” means 2nd) but a series of fervent motivational homilies…
Making a fresh start
The destruction of Israel’s life, as described in the book of Daniel, is devastating. “We have in our day no prince, prophet or leader, no sacrifice, oblation or incense, no place to offer first fruits, to find favour with you.” All had gone up in flames!..
Not a narrow-minded God
Jesus challenges the rather narrow view that his townspeople of Nazareth had of God. Just as they felt that Jesus belonged to them..
The Lord has the message of eternal life: in Lent we come to know this message and deepen our relationship with the Saviour of the world.
