Lifted Up For Our Healing

Voice over by Eliz

Num 21:4-9, Psalm: 101, Jn 8:21-30

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Today, the scriptures present us with a profound pattern of sin, suffering, and divine salvation. In the desert, the Israelites grew impatient and spoke against God and Moses. Their ingratitude bore a bitter fruit: an infestation of saraph serpents, whose venom brought death. This was a consequence of their own turning away. Yet, in His mercy, God provided a remedy. He instructed Moses to mount a bronze serpent on a pole. All who looked upon it with faith in God’s promise would be healed. The healing came not from a magical statue, but from turning their gaze in obedient trust toward the sign of God’s provision.

Centuries later, Jesus unveils the full meaning of this event. Speaking to those who doubt Him, He declares, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM.” He directly links His own crucifixion—His being “lifted up” on the pole of the Cross—to the serpent in the desert. This is the heart of Catholic interpretation: the bronze serpent was a type prefiguring Christ. As the Catechism teaches, it is a symbol of the saving Cross, for “the one who turned toward it was saved, not by what he saw, but by you, the Savior of all” (CCC 2130).

The venomous bite of the serpent is sin, which leads to spiritual death. We have all felt its sting. The remedy is to look with faith upon Christ crucified. “I am going away,” Jesus says, “and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin.” The ultimate sin is to refuse this gaze of faith, to reject the One lifted up for our salvation. But to those who believe, He offers life. Our healing begins when we turn our restless gaze from our own wounds and look to His.

Where is our comfort? In knowing our God does not leave us in the deadly desert of our own making. He provides the remedy, at great cost to Himself. Our spiritual strength is an act of faithful looking. When we are beset by the poison of guilt, discouragement, or fear, we must consciously lift our eyes to the Cross. We must contemplate the One who took upon Himself all our venomous sin and triumphed over it.

St. John Henry Newman encourages us: “God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission… Therefore, I will trust Him.” To look upon the Cross is to trust in that mission of love.

This week, when you feel the sting of failure or the bite of despair, do not look inward. Look outward and upward. Make the Sign of the Cross. Pray before a crucifix. In the Eucharist, behold the Lamb of God, lifted up for you. For in that faithful gaze is our healing and our peace. “For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” But if you believe, you will have eternal life. Amen.

May God bless you all!