Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Numbers 21:4-9

John 8:21-30

Look and Live

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ Jesus, the readings of the day present to us two important points for our reflection. 1) uncertainty of People of Israel & Pharisees 2) God's greater Love on the Cross.

First Reading:

The people of Israel were on the verge of reaching the promised land after a long desert journey. However in today’s reading we find they are expressing a kind of disappointment and depression that as if they are finding it hard in their lives and the days in Egypt in slavery are far better than the present days.

They became impatient and even went to the extremity of complaining against Moses and God. They are now complaining about the heavenly food (Manna). God has provided the food so that they may not starve to death yet they rejected and showed aversion towards it and were ungrateful to greater God.

God punishes them by sending poisonous serpents to kill them all. The people when they realise it’s punishment from God for their ingratitude, blasphemy and grumbling, they acknowledge before Moses and God “ we have sinned by speaking against God”. Moses intercedes and God saves them only if they manifest their faith, and gratitude to God by looking at the bronze image(serpent). A point to be noted here is that it is not the serpent but faith in God that saved them. They looked at it and God let them live.

This in fact, foreshadows clearly of Christ on the cross. Jesus said in the Gospel “ and as moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, even so must the son of man be lifted up, that those who believe in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting”

In the gospel the Pharisees failed to understand him clearly, his identity, his words and his destination ( where he came from or where he is going) he was talking about his relationship with father but they failed to understand it. They are in a confused state.

Jesus then says, they will understand only when he is lifted up on the cross and to the glory after the cross. ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing of myself’. Only in light of Jesus' mission on the cross, and resurrection one is able to understand Him.

And it is in this regard one can be saved by looking at the cross. A person who looks at the cross with faith will live, this is what Easter is all about, God raising Jesus to new life, we believe that it’s also a reference to our lives that we will be raised to new life

And in the image of the cross, we are opening up to God’s unconditional, life giving, and sacrificial love poured unto us for all humanity.

The people of Israel failed to understand unconditional love and providential love of God - they were punished

Later when they acknowledged and accepted their sins - they were saved

The Pharisees failed to understand - they received their prize

We are today called to reflect to understand with faith the Unconditional love and providence of God shed on the Cross of Christ.

Let us Look at IT and Let us Live with IT

A note here : during the time of king Hezekiah, the statue of the bronze serpent was destroyed because it has become a form of idolatry over the years. Some came to believe that it was a serpent who healed but in fact faith in God gave the healing. So when the intention was distorted it had to be destroyed.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.(1 Corinthians 1:18)

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)

I led you for forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes did not fall from you in tatters nor your sandals from your feet (Deuteronomy 2:5)

Fr. Jayaraju Manthena OCD

Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62

John 8:1-11

GOD SAVES

Dear Brothers and sisters in christ jesus, today’s readings are very familiar and powerful as they illustrate perfectly God’s intervention to save his loved ones.

First Reading:

In the first reading, we read the Story of Susanna, who was falsely accused of adultery by two elders and sentenced to death according to the law, however God intervened through a young boy Daniel defended her and saved.

She was innocent and was unjustly accused. No matter how she tried to defend her integrity and faithfulness, the community believed the elders and decided to stone her to death.

All that was left was to leave the situation to God and she rightly did so for her protection.

God indeed heard and has not abandoned his her who lived her life in obedience to His law.

God inspired a young boy Daniel to rescue her. The spirit of God was leading him to take no part in her sentence, then led him to speak the truth, and then guided him to prove the truth (his point).

It was a very clever and separate examination of the accusers (the elders) which led the people to realise the inconsistencies in their evidence and he proved them to be liars. They received the punishment intended for Susanna.

Although she was falsely accused, she kept her faith in God, and God inspired and guided Daniel with his truth, wisdom, perception and sense of justice to save the innocent from impending death.

Gospel:

In the Gospel, in contrast to Susanna, here the woman was actually guilty of adultery and was also sentenced to death, however Jesus forgave her and saved. She was as per the law justly accused and sentenced, therefore as regards this there was no hope for her because the law says so. But on the way to her execution, something extraordinary happens like that of Susanna’s case.

The Pharisees and others in this context were emotionally running high, tempers were rising high on account of the act and they felt a kind of self righteous in their execution.

A note to the Parents:

Especially the Parents and the elders need to pay attention to their words and actions in front of their children when they are emotionally caught up, tempers racing and feel righteous because this will have a long standing effect in their growth process.

Therefore, first Jesus calms the situation by not replying to their demands.

Then, he writes something on the sand, he changes their direction for sometime to get their better attention.

A neutral situation was established.

Then Jesus says,“if there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her”, they realise and in silence one by one leave the place. Of course Jesus is not condoning her act but going beyond he is forgiving and saving her from her sins. This was a kind of intervention needed in her life to realise that she is respected and loved by God and is given another opportunity to life worthy of and in obedience to God.

Let us not run emotionally high and react judgmentally or with an attitude of self righteousness to condemn others' mistakes or sins.

God is forgiving and let us not throw stones at others in our words, thoughts and actions.

“I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” (Luke 5:32)

“For God so loved the world that he gave* his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)

Fr. Jayaraju Manthena OCD