Daily Catholic Mass Readings for September 14, 2021
First Reading: Numbers 21.4-9 or Philippians 2.6-11
4From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way.5And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food."6Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.7And the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.8And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live."9So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Psalm 78
1Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!2I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,3things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.4We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.5He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,6that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,7so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;8and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.9The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.10They did not keep God's covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.11They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.12In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.13He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.14In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light.15He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.16He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.17Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.18They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.19They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the wilderness?20He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?"21Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel,22because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.23Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven,24and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.25Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.26He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;27he rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;28he let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.29And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.30But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths,31the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel.32In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.33So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror.34When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly.35They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.36But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.37Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.38Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.39He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.40How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert!41They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel.42They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,43when he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of Zoan.44He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.45He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.46He gave their crops to the destroying locust and the fruit of their labor to the locust.47He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost.48He gave over their cattle to the hail and their flocks to thunderbolts.49He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.50He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague.51He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.52Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.53He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.54And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won.55He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.56Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies,57but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow.58For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols.59When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel.60He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind,61and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe.62He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage.63Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no marriage song.64Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine.66And he put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting shame.67He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,68but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.69He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever.70He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds;71from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance.72With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.
Gospel: John 3.13-17
13No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.16"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two profound narratives that intertwine to reveal God's enduring plan of salvation. The first reading from Numbers recounts the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, marked by their discontent and rebellion against God. As a consequence, fiery serpents are sent upon them, leading to suffering and death. Moses intercedes, and God provides a remedy: a bronze serpent lifted high, which heals all who gaze upon it. This act of faith in God's provision is a poignant symbol of redemption.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus draws a parallel between the bronze serpent and himself. He explains that just as the serpent was lifted up to bring healing, he too must be lifted up on the cross. This act of sacrifice, driven by God's immense love, offers eternal life to all who believe. The connection between the two readings is clear: the bronze serpent is a prefiguration of Christ, emphasizing that salvation comes through faith in God's plan.
In our daily lives, we often face struggles and hardships that may lead us to question God's presence. Yet, these moments invite us to reflect on our faith. Just as the Israelites found healing by looking upon the bronze serpent, we too can find salvation by turning our gaze to Christ. The cross, like the serpent, is a symbol of God's love and our redemption. Let us embrace this gift with gratitude and trust, remembering that true healing and eternal life are found in Christ.