20260324 FAITH IN JESUS BRINGS SALVATION
24 March 2026, Tuesday, 5th Week of Lent
First reading | Numbers 21:4-9 |
If anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked up at the bronze serpent and lived
The Israelites left Mount Hor by the road to the Sea of Suph, to skirt the land of Edom. On the way the people lost patience. They spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is neither bread nor water here; we are sick of this unsatisfying food.’
At this God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel. The people came and said to Moses, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede for us with the Lord to save us from these serpents.’ Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord answered him, ‘Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live.’ So Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard, and if anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 101(102):2-3,16-21 |
O Lord, listen to my prayer and let my cry for help reach you.
O Lord, listen to my prayer
and let my cry for help reach you.
Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress.
Turn your ear towards me
and answer me quickly when I call.
O Lord, listen to my prayer and let my cry for help reach you.
The nations shall fear the name of the Lord
and all the earth’s kings your glory,
when the Lord shall build up Zion again
and appear in all his glory.
Then he will turn to the prayers of the helpless;
he will not despise their prayers.
O Lord, listen to my prayer and let my cry for help reach you.
Let this be written for ages to come
that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord;
for the Lord leaned down from his sanctuary on high.
He looked down from heaven to the earth
that he might hear the groans of the prisoners
and free those condemned to die.
O Lord, listen to my prayer and let my cry for help reach you.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn8:12 |
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Or: |
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain for ever.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Gospel | John 8:21-30 |
When you have lifted up the Son of Man then you will know that I am He
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
‘I am going away;
you will look for me
and you will die in your sin.
Where I am going, you cannot come.’
The Jews said to one another, ‘Will he kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, “Where I am going, you cannot come”?’ Jesus went on:
‘You are from below; I am from above.
You are of this world; I am not of this world.
I have told you already:
You will die in your sins.
Yes, if you do not believe that I am He,
you will die in your sins.’
So they said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus answered:
‘What I have told you from the outset.
About you I have much to say
and much to condemn;
but the one who sent me is truthful,
and what I have learnt from him
I declare to the world.’
They failed to understand that he was talking to them about the Father. So Jesus said:
‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man,
then you will know that I am He
and that I do nothing of myself:
what the Father has taught me is what I preach;
he who sent me is with me,
and has not left me to myself,
for I always do what pleases him.’
As he was saying this, many came to believe in him.
FAITH IN JESUS BRINGS SALVATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [NUM 21:4-9; PS 102:2-3,16-21; JOHN 8:21-30]
We can appreciate the challenges facing the Israelites in the desert. They were living in very harsh circumstances. Soon after being delivered from Egypt, when their lives had been spared, they began to lament again. They were tired, physically exhausted, emotionally drained, and spiritually dry. When we are not fulfilled or satisfied, it is natural for us to complain about everything. We begin to find fault in everything. Such was the case with the Israelites. They needed someone to blame for their woes. So, “they spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is neither bread nor water here; we are sick of this unsatisfying food.'” As a punishment for their ingratitude, “God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel.”
What lessons can we draw from this incident? Firstly, ingratitude leads to resentment. The Israelites were angry with God and Moses, holding them responsible for their misery. In times of suffering, they forgot what had happened to them in Egypt. They became nostalgic about their past and forgot all the mighty works of deliverance that God had performed for them. In fact, they wished they could turn back the clock. They were also fearful of the future. Instead of having faith in God, who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt, they began to worry about what lay ahead. They feared they might die in the desert. At the same time, they resented their present situation. They were tired of the monotonous meals that God provided for them. They longed for the more nutritious and tastier food they remembered in Egypt, in contrast to the manna. Thus, their resentment led to fear of the future and dissatisfaction with their present provision.
As a consequence, they sinned against the Lord. They failed to acknowledge His divine power in setting them free from Egypt. They forgot that the God of their fathers is a God of power. How could they so easily forget what God had done for them and doubt that He was on their side? They failed to appreciate God’s kindness and generosity in sustaining them in the desert with the basic food necessary to keep them alive. Instead of being appreciative for what they had, they lamented what they lacked. This was a clear failure to recognise His mercy and sovereignty over Israel and the world. They did not trust in His divine providence. In short, they did not trust in the God who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt. They were too focused on their present dissatisfaction to remember the goodness of the Lord.
Secondly, God is gracious even in our ingratitude. His heart is for us, even if it takes some pain to bring us to self-realisation. God loves us so deeply that He allows us to suffer so that we may come to repentance. Many of us are too weak to truly help our errant loved ones change. We tolerate them to the point of allowing them to abuse our generosity and kindness. Instead of winning them over, we only reinforce their behaviour. True love, however, is not shown by endorsing sin, but by offering support even when consequences must be faced. This was how God helped Israel come to terms with their situation. He allowed the poisonous snakes to afflict them, leading to many deaths. When this happened, they instinctively turned to Moses and asked him to intercede with God to save them from the deadly bites of the serpents. Earlier, they had treated Moses and God as their enemies; now they turned to them as their hope, remembering God’s mercy and power to save. Such is human nature: only when we are in desperate situations do we turn to God. Otherwise, we rely on our own intelligence, power, wealth, and influence. In the face of death and helplessness, we realise that only God can save us.
Hence, like most people, we turn to God in prayer only when we are desperate. Otherwise, we hardly pray, or even if we do, we pray without attention and sincerity. Yet prayer is crucial for building our relationship with the Lord, so that we will not doubt Him when we are tested by trials. Through difficulties, our priorities change. When things are going well, we tend to become self-absorbed in the finer things of life. But in times of adversity, such non-essential matters lose their importance. What matters more than fine dining is relationships–finding support and strength from our friends. And what greater friend can we have than God, who journeys with us?
Indeed, troubles and suffering reshape our values and ambitions in life. This is what happens when people are confronted with life-and-death situations, or with health and sickness. We come to realize that many things in life are not truly important. If our basic needs are met, we can be content and happy, especially when we have companions to walk with us–and above all, God to protect and guide us. In adversity, we discover what is most important in life. It is only in times of prosperity that we are tempted to think that accumulating more of the world’s pleasures can give us meaning and fulfilment. In the final analysis, it is a deep prayer life and a personal relationship with God that give us the right perspective on life.
Thirdly, we see the paradox of God’s wisdom. He saves us and shows mercy through our helplessness. In our utter weakness, He manifests His mercy even through the very things that have caused our suffering. God used the fiery serpents to bring the Israelites to awareness and repentance. At the same time, He used the situation to heal them by leading them to reflect on their words and actions. Such is the wisdom of God in saving us.
Indeed, this paradoxical wisdom is fully revealed in the passion, death, and resurrection of His Son. As Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing on my own, but speak just what the Father has taught me. He who sent me is with me and has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.” The cross of our Lord, seen as a failure and defeat of God’s saving plan, becomes the most powerful symbol of His victory over sin, pride, self-righteousness, and hatred. By raising Jesus on the cross and then in the resurrection, God revealed the power of His mercy and wisdom. No one could have conceived of such wondrous wisdom in God’s plan to save us.
In the light of God’s unfathomable mercy and astonishing grace, we are invited to accept the grace given to us in Christ Jesus. This is the message of today’s Scripture readings. Are we ready to accept God’s mercy and grace in Jesus by humbling ourselves and turning away from our sins? John’s Gospel makes it clear that it is meant for sinners–for undeserving rebels, for those guilty of impatience, anger, resentment, ingratitude, and unbelief. Jesus comes to save us from our sins. If we reject Him, we will die in our sins. This is His warning: “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not belong to this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
There is also an urgency in accepting Him. For many of us, life is slipping away like those who have been bitten by a deadly serpent. If we do not respond when the opportunity is given, it may be too late. The Lord said, “I am going away; you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” We have seen many cases of people who refuse to change. They neglect their health even when diagnosed with heart disease or diabetes. They continue to smoke, drink excessively, and eat unhealthily. Before long, they suffer heart attacks, cancer, or kidney failure. When that time comes, it is often too late for regret. We must therefore respond without delay. When the irreversible happens, there is little we can do. God gives us many chances, but we cannot keep postponing our response until it is too late.
The good news is that the moment we repent, we are restored to life and health. When the Israelites looked at the serpent in repentance, they were healed. In the same way, our healing can be immediate if we turn to God; He grants His forgiveness and restoration without delay. The result is new life. Let us, therefore, learn from this desert incident and place our trust in His mercy and love. We must believe in faith that Jesus is the Son of God. By believing in Him and walking in His ways, we will find peace, joy, and life.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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