Mass was offered this morning at the high altar for the peaceful repose of the soul of Lilly Yore (+), and for her family members and friends, those who love her. May eternal rest be granted unto her, who trusted in God's great mercy.
Today's readings at Mass link together Moses' brass serpent in the desert, which was used as a saving remedy (a type of totem) to several Israelites, who were being attacked by poisonous desert snakes, and Christ on the Cross, which remains a saving remedy to sinful humanity. This comparison was already made by Christ Himself, when He said that
"No man has ever gone up into heaven; but there is one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man, who dwells in heaven. And this Son of Man must be lifted up, as the serpent was lifted up by Moses in the wilderness; so that those who believe in him may not perish, but have eternal life." - Gospel of John, 3: 13-15
Christ's ministry was deeply rooted in the faith of the Jewish people and in their history, with its reverence for the house of King David, from which the Messiah was to come, and for the Temple and cult in the city of Jerusalem; this quote above is a reference to the prophecy of Zacharias, in which God says
"On David’s clan, on all the citizens of Jerusalem, I will pour out a gracious spirit of prayer; towards me they shall look, me whom they have pierced through. Lament for him they must, and grieve bitterly; never was such lament for an only son, grief so bitter over first-born dead." - Zacharias 12: 10
And, of course, Christ says, in today's Gospel, that
"When you have lifted up the Son of Man, you will recognise that it is myself you look for, and that I do not do anything on my own authority, but speak as my Father has instructed me to speak." - Gospel of John, 8: 28
So, let us keep a crucifix in plain view in our homes - in every room, if possible - for there is a great virtue that comes from it and from the devotion that it creates in our hearts.
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