As for last week some parishes with RCIA will be using Year A readings. Meditations presented here are for the current year: Year B

Two pictures are set before us.

Picture 1: The Israelite people are in the wilderness. Many of them have been bitten by a plague of poisonous, death-dealing serpents. It is seen as a punishment for the people’s lack of trust in God. Moses –instructed by God – makes a bronze serpent and holds it up. People look at the serpent and are healed.

Picture 2: Jesus lifted up on the cross in shame and rising. Innumerable people are looking towards him, LIFE, eternal life is streaming from him to them.

Nicodemus is a Pharisee. He is also a secret disciple of Jesus. He comes to Jesus by night to find out more about Jesus’ teaching. Jesus uses these two “pictures” as his teaching aids. The first picture is familiar to the Pharisee. The second one is not yet.

Jesus calls his attention – and ours - to the two pictures. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up…so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

How do we experience the death-dealing bite of the serpent? How has the poison of selfishness, and pride and jealousy and wrangling and infidelity found its way into our system? How do we see its death-dealing effects in ourselves, in our families, in our neighbourhoods, in our communities, at our workplaces, in political life, in sports, in entertainment, in society?

Then comes the famous verse –John 3:16 –God loved the world so much that God gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life.

And our gaze focusses on Picture 2 –Healing for all the poison in our system, healing received from the Son of Man, lifted up on the cross. Do we dare to enter into that scene and to claim the healing that is ours? Do we dare to enter into the life of the Son of Man, lifted up on the cross and resurrected? Do we dare – in Christ – to let ourselves be lifted up – whatever that might mean – and to allow life to flow through us for others?

Time and time again we hear of people chosen for the Integrity Commission and then for some reason being removed from that hallowed group. We are looking for perfect people. We lift them up and find them wanting in some way and reject them. The reality is that none of us is perfect. Can we dare together – all of us sinners - to acknowledge the death-dealing serpent-bites in ourselves and in society and to gaze at Christ lifted up, trusting God to bring life and healing and conversion to us and to all?

Let us pray

Compassionate God! You loved the world so much You gave Your own Son. Thank you for that gift of love. Thank you for all those who allow their woundedness to become a source of healing for others. That too is a gift of love

Loving God, often we prefer darkness to light. We hide our serpent-bites, the poison that is killing us and our society. We do not bring them to the light. And when they are noticed we try to cover them over. Forgive us, Lord.

Help us to believe in Your love. Help us to dare to uncover our serpent-bites, the wounds of our own sin. Help us to gaze trustingly on You and to draw from you the healing we need so that we can become instruments of transformation and healing for our world. Amen