TUESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (John 8:21-30) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM.” (Jn 8:28)

FIRST READING - Nm 21:4-9

A reading from the Book of Numbers

From Mount Hor the children of Israel set out on the Red Sea road,

to bypass the land of Edom.

But with their patience worn out by the journey,

the people complained against God and Moses,

"Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,

where there is no food or water?

We are disgusted with this wretched food!"

In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,

which bit the people so that many of them died.

Then the people came to Moses and said,

"We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.

Pray the LORD to take the serpents away from us."

So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,

"Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,

and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live."

Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,

and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent

looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - John 8:21-30

From the Gospel according to John

Jesus said to the Pharisees:

"I am going away and you will look for me,

but you will die in your sin.

Where I am going you cannot come."

So the Jews said,

"He is not going to kill himself, is he,

because he said, 'Where I am going you cannot come'?"

He said to them, "You belong to what is below,

I belong to what is above.

You belong to this world,

but I do not belong to this world.

That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.

For if you do not believe that I AM,

you will die in your sins."

So they said to him, "Who are you?"

Jesus said to them, "What I told you from the beginning.

I have much to say about you in condemnation.

But the one who sent me is true,

and what I heard from him I tell the world."

They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father.

So Jesus said to them,

"When you lift up the Son of Man,

then you will realize that I AM,

and that I do nothing on my own,

but I say only what the Father taught me.

The one who sent me is with me.

He has not left me alone,

because I always do what is pleasing to him."

Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.

TUESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (John 8:21-30)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear people of God,

Today's Word of God continues to call people to believe in His Words to have eternal life.

Jesus came to earth, and what He said to humanity was all true, all came from God the Father, because He belonged to God the Father. All the words He said, He taught, and all the things He did came from God the Father. From the Incarnation, to the work of preaching the Gospel, and then to His death, everything was arranged according to the will of God the Father. Jesus did not do anything according to His own will. Jesus always loved all the children that God the Father created. He knew that His children were walking in darkness, belonging to the world; so He loved, kindly invited, explained, and taught. His words were true. Believe in His teachings to have eternal life. Jesus foretold: His death will bring salvation to mankind.

In today's Word of God, Jesus from Heaven came down to earth and became a human to save mankind, and His Kingdom does not belong to this world. He invites: those who believe in Him, will enjoy happiness with His Father in Heaven. But with the dark hearts and minds of humans, they still do not understand those invitations. They only understand according to the shallow thinking of the human mind, and they have not opened their hearts to receive the Words of truth from God. They rely on theories, judgments, and thoughts of a human being, which is what they see and hear first before they believe. They cannot understand that: beyond that faith, is the Word of truth of God to bring a life of complete happiness to humans.

The teachings and invitations of Jesus in the past were not only given to the Jewish Pharisees at that time, but His words continue to resonate today: calling on the children of God to believe in the words of Jesus Christ, the Second Person of God who came to earth and became a human, died and rose again to save humanity. Those who believe and follow His teachings will be allowed by God the Father to enjoy happiness with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thanks be to God. Amen.