Daily Readings - Tue Apr 08 2025
Numbers
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.
John
21So he said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come."22So the Jews said, "Will he kill himself, since he says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?"23He said to them, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.24I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins."25So they said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.26I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him."27They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father.28So Jesus said to them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.29And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him."30As he was saying 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.