Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Today's Readings
Today's Reflection
Lord, Your Wounds Our Healing Give; To Your Cross We Look and Live
In today’s Old Testament reading, the bronze serpent Moses made had healing power, but the Israelites had to look at it, mounted on its pole, before they could be healed.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus applies that incident to himself. Apparently, an important detail of the death of Jesus was that it was very visible and public. In crucifixion, the condemned person slowly suffocated—and did so while suspended on a stake, exposed to the gaze of a crowd.
The spectacle aspect of Jesus’ death reminds us that it actually happened, in history. Jesus died, and we will die too. But because he died and rose again, we do not die without hope.
We can picture Jesus on the cross in widely varying ways, as you can see from the two large crucifixes in our parish church (over the altar and over the stairwell). Also, try this hymn; or this classic by Isaac Watts.
Paul S.
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