Fr. Gerard Kelly
Here in this country we all know to be
careful of snakes, particularly when we are out in the bush. We know that many of them have venom that can
kill those who are bitten. We are not
surprised then to see people being afraid of snakes. There aren’t too many references to snakes in
the Bible, but those that are there always present the snake a source of evil
and death. The first place we hear of a
snake is in the Book of Genesis and the story of the temptation of Adam and
Eve. Here the snake is the one who
brings about their downfall and, consequently, the punishment of the whole of
creation. They are expelled from
paradise because of the snake. So, the
snake becomes a symbol of evil and sin.
It is a symbol of the break of the relationship with God, but also the
breakdown in human relationships, and even the breakdown of the harmony between
humankind and the rest of creation.
Another place where we hear of snakes
is when the people are wandering for forty years in the desert. The people had been complaining that God had
brought them out into the desert to die, so God sent snakes to punish
them. The snakes would bite people and
they would die. Moses prayed that God
might do something to save the people.
So God told Moses to make a bronze snake and to put it around a pole and
lift it high so that it towers high over all the people. Anyone who looks at the snake will be
saved. This seems an odd command. But let’s think about what is going on. By lifting the snake high the people are
forced to look on the very thing that is bringing evil and destruction on
them. It is as though they are forced to
see more clearly the evil around them.
And, of course, this snake would symbolise their own complaining and
turning away from God. But God wanted it
to be the way that they would be healed.
It is this scene with Moses in the
desert that it referred to in the Gospel today.
However, it is not a snake that is lifted up; Jesus himself will be
lifted up. Here on this fourth Sunday of
Lent, we are being invited to begin to contemplate Jesus lifted up on the
cross. We are invited to begin to
reflect on the fact that his death on the cross is the source of our being
saved, and healed, and offered a secure future.
It seems very simple: we just have to look at Jesus on the cross.
But it may not be as simple as it
seems. It may be that we are so familiar
with the image of the cross that it no longer has much of an impact on us. We no longer see its horror, or the evil that
is associated with it. Think for a
moment of what images you have seen recently that do shock you and cause you to
pause and ask questions about good and evil.
Perhaps it is starving children who are trapped in refugee camps. Perhaps it is random acts of killing that we
have seen on our TV screens when a lone gunman who gone into a school in the
USA. The cross no longer has the same
impact on us.
Just this week I heard one of our
Australian bishops talking about a visit a small delegation of bishops made to
Lebanon and Syria at the end of last year.
They visited many Christians who had been forced to flee from their
homes and towns. These people had been
expelled so quickly that they were not even allowed to take anything with
them. This bishop commented that the
cross he wore around his neck was the most powerful thing he had to offer. The people would come up and touch the cross
or kiss it. In the midst of all that had
happened to them the cross was a sign of the hope that they still carried in them. They had nothing; so all they could do was to
trust God. I am sure too that the cross
was also a symbol of the evil that they had experienced and were fleeing. Jesus on the cross stood in solidarity with
them.
In the Gospel today Jesus speaks about light
and darkness. When the light shines the
darkness is exposed. God is the one who
shines a light on our world. Jesus makes
it clear that God loves the world, and that God is not condemning the world,
but rather offering it salvation. But to
see that salvation we need to look at the cross.
In this time of Lent we look at the
cross in order to see the love of God.
As Jesus said, God loved the world so much that he gave his only son, so
that anyone who believes in him may have eternal life. The more clearly we see the love of God the
more clearly we will see the darkness of our own lives. Lent is a time to shine a light on whatever
darkness is in us. Often we don’t even
recognise the darkness in our lives – we don’t see it; we are blind to it. However, if we listen to the word of God and
if we gaze on the cross we will begin to see more clearly what it is that
stands in the way of our relationship with God, our relationships with the
people around us, and even our connection to the larger creation. God desires that we learn to love more deeply. Let us during these weeks of Lent see in the
cross the great sign of God’s love for us.
And when we see this love, let us recognise where we need conversion in
our own lives.
