Daily Readings - Tue Apr 08 2025
Numbers
4Then they set out from mount Hor, by the way that leads to the Red Sea, to circle around the land of Edom. And the people began to tire of their journey and hardships5And speaking against God and Moses, they said: "Why did you lead us away from Egypt, so as to die in the wilderness? Bread is lacking; there are no waters. Our soul is now nauseous over this very light food.6For this reason, the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, which wounded or killed many of them7And so they went to Moses, and they said: "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray, so that he may take away these serpents from us." And Moses prayed for the people8And the Lord said to him: "Make a bronze serpent, and place it as a sign. Whoever, having been struck, gazes upon it, shall live.9Therefore, Moses made a bronze serpent, and he placed it as a sign. When those who had been struck gazed upon it, they were healed
John
21Therefore, Jesus again spoke to them: "I am going, and you shall seek me. And you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you are not able to go.22And so the Jews said, "Is he going to kill himself, for he said: ‘Where I am going, you are not able to go?’ 23And he said to them: "You are from below. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world24Therefore, I said to you, that you will die in your sins. For if you will not believe that I am, you will die in your sin.25And so they said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them: "The Beginning, who is also speaking to you26I have much to say about you and to judge. But he who sent me is true. And what I have heard from him, this I speak within the world.27And they did not realize that he was calling God his Father28And so Jesus said to them: "When you will have lifted up the Son of man, then you shall realize that I am, and that I do nothing of myself, but just as the Father has taught me, so do I speak29And he who sent me is with me, and he has not abandoned me alone. For I always do what is pleasing to him.30As he was speaking these things, many believed in him
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful moments of revelation and redemption. The first reading from Numbers describes the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness, where their impatience and lack of faith lead to a crisis. Complaining about their hardships, they turn against God and Moses, and as a consequence, they are afflicted by fiery serpents. Moses intercedes for the people, and God provides a remedy: a bronze serpent lifted up for all to gaze upon, promising healing to those who look upon it. This ancient story reminds us that even in our struggles, God offers us signs of His mercy and salvation.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to the Pharisees about His divine mission. He tells them that He will return to the Father, and they will not be able to follow Him because they are “from below” while He is “from above.” Jesus emphasizes that unless they believe in Him as the “I Am,” they will die in their sins. Despite their confusion and skepticism, many begin to believe in Him. This passage invites us to reflect on our own faith: do we recognize Jesus as the revelation of God’s love, or do we remain trapped in our limited understanding of the world?
The readings are deeply connected. The bronze serpent in the wilderness prefigures Jesus, who would be “lifted up” on the cross for the salvation of the world. Just as the Israelites needed to gaze upon the serpent to be healed, we must look to Jesus, crucified and risen, to find true life. In our daily lives, we often face challenges and doubts, just like the Israelites and the Pharisees. These readings remind us to trust in God’s providence, even when the path is uncertain, and to fix our gaze on Jesus, who is our salvation. Let us ask for the grace to believe in Him fully, that we may live in the freedom and light of His truth.