Fourth Sunday of Lent (B)

Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert. (Jn 3:14-21)

In the book of Numbers, the people of Israel were reported to have grumbled because of lack of water and food. For this God sent snakes whose bite brought death to many. The people then went to Moses to beg him to intercede for them before God. God instructed Moses to fashion a bronze serptent and hang it on a standard. Everyone who was bitten and looked at the bronze serpent survived.

The bronze serpent was a symbol of Jesus who was hung on the standard of the cross. Those who would look at him in faith, that is, those who would believe in him, would receive eternal life.

To us the cross is important because it is a symbol of our salvation, a sign of faith and a reminder of God's love for us. For this reason we must make the sign of the cross with reverence.

To be lifted up in St. John's Gospel does not ony mean the crucifixion. It also includes the glorification of Jesus in his resurrection and asecension into heaven. Therefore, it is not only the death of Jesus that gave us eternal life, but also his resurrection and ascension.

Eternal life is often understood as being part of the life of the age to come, that is, the never-ending life that God will bring after the end of the world. This life, therefore, is something in the future.

But in John's Gospel eternal life is something that anyone can already enjoy in some measure even while on earth. Earth is like the first stage; Heaven, the final stage. Earth is like that stage where a seed is planted and grows. Heaven is that stage when the plant has become a tree and is now bearing fruit.

LESSON

If you go to the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Better Living, Paranaque, you will notice a different kind of cross at the sanctuary. It is not the crucified Christ that you will see. Instead it is the resurrected Christ. What they did is to express in religous art what St. John said in his Gospel, that the glorification of Jesus consists not only in his resurrection and ascension, but in his death as well. They are one package.

And what St. John said can also be found in the nuggets of human wisdom. For example, no pain, no gain. Kung walang tiyaga, walang nilaga. What wisdom do these quotations teach? Success comes at the price of sacrifice. Triumph comes with a price.

Our mistake is that we want the short-cut to success. We want to succeed without making the necessary effort. Would you believe it? Some students expect to pass the subject without having to study their lessons and pass their projects. Some people want to get rich without working for it. And I am not talking about cell phone snatchers. Some take the short-cut to riches through corruption.

This kind of mentality can also be found in the spiritual life. Here are excerpts from the prayer of someone who wants the easy way:

I asked God to take away my pride.
God said "No".
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said "No".
It isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said "No".
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said "No".
I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.

We promise God to be good and avoid sin, but we may be unwilling to make the effort to avoid the occasions of sin. We promise God that we will change, but we may be unwilling to make the effort to exercise self-control. We promise God that we will increase our self-control but we are unwilling to fast and to make sacrifices.

It is useless for us to expect that by Easter we will have changed our ways if during this Lent we have not made any effort to avoid the occasion of sin, to exercise self-control and to fast and to make sacrifices.

No pain. No gain. Walang tiyaga. Walang nilaga.