Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
π Today's Readings
- First Reading: Numbers 21:4–9
- Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 102:2–3, 16–18, 19–21
- Gospel: John 8:21–30
π️ "When I Am Lifted Up — The Cross as the Place of Healing"
π Reflection
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today the Lord speaks plainly about His death — and about what that death will reveal to the world.
In the First Reading, the Israelites are wandering in the desert and growing impatient with God. They grumble against Moses, against the manna, against the journey. And venomous serpents appear among them. When they repent and cry out, God instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole — and whoever looks upon it with faith is healed.
This ancient story is an extraordinary foreshadowing of the Cross. Jesus Himself draws on it in the Gospel of John: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up." The very thing associated with death — mounted on a pole and looked upon with faith — becomes the source of life. So too the Cross: the instrument of death becomes the tree of life.
In today's Gospel, Jesus tells the Pharisees something that still astonishes: "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM." His very crucifixion will be His greatest revelation. It is on the Cross that Jesus most fully shows who He is — not in triumph or power as the world understands it, but in total self-giving love. The Cross is not the defeat of God. It is the most complete disclosure of God's love that this world has ever seen.
We are now just days away from Good Friday. The Church is preparing us to look upon the Crucified One — not with sadness that turns away, but with faith that draws near. Like the Israelites in the desert, we too are wounded by sin, fear, and the poisons of this world. And the healing is the same: look upon Him who was lifted up. With faith. With love.
Do not turn away from the Cross this Holy Week. Draw near. Let it heal you.
π‘ One Simple Message for Today The Cross is not a tragedy to endure — it is the greatest act of love ever performed. Look upon it with faith and be healed.
π A Prayer for Today
Lord Jesus, You were lifted up on the Cross so that I might be lifted out of my sin and sorrow. Give me the courage to look upon Your Passion this Holy Week — not with a fearful heart, but with love and gratitude. Let the Cross heal everything in me that is broken. Amen.
πΏ Lenten Practice for Today
Find a crucifix in your home or church today. Spend two quiet minutes simply looking at it. No words are necessary — let the image of the Crucified Lord speak directly to your heart.
May the Lord bless you and keep you close to His Sacred Heart this holy season. π️
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