‘For God so loved the world …’
Today we celebrate how Christ Jesus, the source of our life and salvation, transformed all human suffering, by willingly accepting death on the cross.
In the First Reading, the people of Israel bring suffering upon themselves by losing faith on their long journey to deliverance from slavery. Moses is commanded to lift up a fiery serpent on a stick: all who turn to this symbol of salvation will be healed.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus understands the suffering that he is being called to embrace. He foretells how he will be lifted up, just like the serpent in the wilderness, so that whoever turns towards him will have eternal life. He reminds us that he was not sent to condemn the world, but to save it.
The Psalm encourages us to never forget the deeds of the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and forgiveness – truly the source of our salvation.
The Second Reading provides a poetic teaching of our salvation story. God’s love took human form in the person of Jesus. By accepting a shameful, humiliating death, God not only powerfully demonstrated solidarity with all who suffer cruelty and injustice at the hands of others, but overcame the finality of death, offering us all a path to eternal life.
As Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee year, we pray for all those who are persecuted or caught up in the injustice and horrors of war. May theirs and all suffering be transformed by the saving love of Christ.
