4th Sunday of Lent
Cycle B
March 15,
2015 4:00pm and 5:30pm
Saint Margaret Parish, Bel
Air
The Lifting Up:
Background
In the
gospel that we just heard, Jesus says: “Just
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted
up…”
Jesus
is referring to an incident when the Israelites were in the desert after God
had freed them from slavery in Egypt. Life
got very difficult and they got sick and tired of the harsh conditions.
They
began grumbling against God. In effect,
they turned their back on God and their faith.
Then
there came a plague of serpents and many of the Israelites were bitten and
died. Eventually, the people turned back
to God for help.
God
then told Moses to make an image of a serpent out of bronze and mount it on a
pole. God promised that all who looked
at this would be healed, and that is exactly what happened.
The Lifting Up:
Jesus on the Cross
So Jesus
says: “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.”
Jesus
is saying that he will be lifted up on the cross, similar to Moses lifting up
the image of a serpent. Now, those who
look upon Jesus on the cross will also be healed and saved.
The
difference is that our healing will be from sinfulness. Our gazing at Christ on the cross will awaken
our awareness of sinfulness and begin a gradual process of healing us from
it.
So,
gazing at Jesus on the cross can be very powerful for us. I invite you to do this with me and I will
suggest some directions where it might take us.
The Lifting Up:
Our Healings
So, we gaze
at Jesus on the cross, giving of himself completely for us. In doing this, he makes us aware of our being
too self-focused at times.
Jesus
begins to heal us of our resistance to placing the needs of others above our
own preferences. He begins to fashion us
to be generous in giving of ourselves for the well-being of others, like
parents for their children, or like catechists teaching religion.
Then,
we gaze at Jesus extending his arms on the cross in such an open, inclusive
way. Here he makes us aware of any
narrowness in our vision.
Jesus
begins to heal us of our tendency to see certain people as excluded from our
Church or from God’s love or even from salvation. He begins to fashion us to be as open and
inclusive of humanity as he is.
Then,
we gaze at Jesus on the cross forgiving those who have crucified him. Here he makes us aware of any unwillingness
to forgive someone.
Maybe
we cannot forget the hurt and maybe we should not re-establish a relationship,
but Jesus can begin to heal us of the animosity and vengeance that we are
carrying. He begins to fashion us to be
as forgiving, as letting go of negative energy, as he is.
And finally,
we gaze at Jesus on the cross, suffering until he gives up his spirit. Here he makes us aware of our sufferings –
physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, and end-of-life.
Jesus
begins to heal us of our human weakness in dealing with suffering. He begins to fashion us with his strength, his
perseverance, and his trust in the Father.
This is
an especially important area right now.
There is legislation being considered in Annapolis that would allow
physician-assisted suicide in Maryland.
Taking
human life in our hands like this is counter to our belief that life is sacred. Jesus, on the cross, makes his end-of-life
suffering redemptive or life-giving for himself and for us.
God
willing, we will have good medical care and pain management at such a
time. But in addition to this, we are to
keep our eyes fixed on Jesus on the cross and, with his help, try to make our
suffering redemptive and life-giving.
Conclusion
So, we
are invited to gaze at Jesus, lifted up on the cross. He will bring healing to our humanity in some
very needed and real ways.
