For forty years, God had provided for his people as they
wandered the desert, giving them manna from heaven. God had fed them, God had
sustained them. And yet, as we heard in the reading from the book of numbers
today, “the people complained against God and Moses: We are disgusted with this
wretched food!”
With their hearts hardened against God, the Israelites
became subject to the deadly poison of serpents.
There is a bit of a parallel to Adam and Eve in the garden. God
had provided food aplenty for Adam and Eve. But they were discontented with the
food God provided, and looked to the fruit of the forbidden tree. They too
became subject to the deadly poison of the serpent at the forbidden tree. They were
poisoned by the serpent’s bite, and that poison brought death, not only for
them, but for the entire human race.
The story from the Book of Numbers looks back to Adam and
Eve and the consequences of sin, but it also foreshadows the victory of the New
Adam in the Gospel.
The bronze serpent, mounted on a pole, becoming a source of
life for the poisoned Israelites, foreshadows the saving death of Jesus Christ,
mounted on the cross, which becomes a source of eternal life for all who
believe in Him.
The drama of Adam and Eve, the drama of sin, the drama of
the Israelites in the desert, plays over and over again in our lives. We allow trust, love, and gratitude to God to
die in our hearts whenever we turn to sin. We allow ourselves to grow
discontent with the good food God has provided for us and seek to satisfy our
hunger for God in so many artificial substitutes. We allow the serpent to
whisper to us, that we should grasp for more than what God has provided. The
story warns us of the folly of turning our hearts from God and the consequences
that inevitably ensue.
For us and for all people, Jesus is the remedy for this
cycle of sin and death. Lifted up on the Cross, He becomes the healing we could
never provide for ourselves. To break the cycle, we must turn our ears away
from the poisonous words of the serpent, but to turn our eyes to Christ with
faith.
Lent teaches us to recognize the poison of sin in our lives
and to turn again to the Crucified One. If we look to Him with repentance and
trust, He will heal what sin has wounded and lead us from death to life for the
glory of God and the salvation of souls.
Trusting in the mercy of God, and turning our eyes to Christ
lifted up for our salvation, let us bring before the Father our prayers and
petitions.
For the Church, that she may faithfully proclaim Christ crucified as the true
remedy for sin and death, and lead many souls to repentance and healing.
For the defense of our nation from all threats foreign and
domestic; for a quick and peaceful resolution to all violent conflict and
safety for all first responders.
For those preparing to receive the Easter Sacraments, that
by God’s grace they may be protected from evil and drawn ever more deeply into
the saving mystery of Christ’s Cross and Resurrection.
For those whose hearts have grown hardened through sin,
complaint, or ingratitude, that the Lord may soften their hearts and restore in
them trust, love, and gratitude, let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.
For the sick, the suffering, and those burdened by illness
of body, mind, or spirit, that the healing power of Christ may strengthen them
and give them peace, let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.
For the faithful departed, that having looked to Christ in
faith during this life, they may now behold Him face to face in the glory of
heaven, let us pray to the Lord. Lord hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, you sent your Son into the world to heal us
from the poison of sin and lead us from death to life. Hear the prayers we
place before you, and grant them according to your holy will. Through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
