HOMILY FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR B (5)

HOMILY FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: LOOK UP AND LIVE
BY: Fr Christian Eze
First reading – 2 Chron. 36:14-16.19-23
Second reading – Eph. 2:4-10
Gospel – Jn. 3:14-21
In the book of Numbers chapter 21, the people of Israel offended God and attracted his wrath. They cried to the God of mercy who immediately came to their rescue. God asked Moses to mold a bronze serpent and hang up there so that anyone who is bitten by the destructive snake, and who would look up to the bronze serpent may not die – Numb 21:4-9. One thing was to have the bronze serpent hanging, another was for the bitten to lift up his/her eyes and gaze at it and live. God did offer them salvation, yet, a little was left in their hands to accomplish. It could be possible that there were many who still died in spite of the hanging serpent simply because they refused to look up.
Like the Israelite’s, we turned away from God and deserved to die. St Paul put it that we have all sinned – Rom. 3:23. And Isaiah 53 holds that we have all gone astray. God in his mercy also came to our rescue, this time, no longer the Mosaic snake but His only begotten Son. Today, Jesus likened His salvific mission to the lifted up serpent in the desert. Like the Israelites in the desert, we too must look up to see Jesus before we could be saved. To see Jesus on the cross is not merely with the external eyes. It is rather with the eyes of faith. Hence He added: “…so that everyone who believes may have eternal life” – Jn. 3:15. Believing is an act of faith. We must have to believe God’s love for us in sending His only Son. We must believe He is capable of saving us. We must also show our faith in Christ by our good works. The Apostle Paul urges us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling – Phil 2:12
Again, the bronze serpent was a sign, a resemblance, and a copy of the troubles the Israelites had. When they looked up, they saw the replica of their trouble – the snake, and that healed them. The son of Man is lifted up on the cross so that anyone who looks up to him may live. The mystery is that when we look up to the cross of Christ, we see also the resemblance of our troubles. The sick looks up and sees the bruised and wounded Jesus. The sinner looks up and sees the man who carried all of humanities sins. The abandoned looks up and sees a man deserted by His close friends. The jobless looks up and sees a man who had no other job but wasted His life for others. The barren looks up and sees a man who, though an only Son of His mother and Father, gave up everything without any wife or children to grant these to many. What is your trouble? Look up to the cross. You would see the sign of your troubles. It is by His wounds that we have been healed (Is 53:3-5). We adore you Oh Christ and we worship you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
THE OLD RUGGED CROSS
1. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.
Refrain: So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.
2. O that old rugged cross,so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above
to bear it to dark Calvary. (Refrain)
3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me. (Refrain)
4. To that old rugged cross I will ever be true,
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then he’ll call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I’ll share. (Refrain)

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