The Word of the Lord Quotes

“Our Gospel takes up the theme of the First Reading: “just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” There are several levels of paradox, irony, and double-meaning in this one line. The serpent was a sign of judgment, of evil, and of death. It recalled the serpent in the Garden. Nonetheless, gazing on the serpent brought life. Similarly, Jesus is going to be subjected to torture and great evil, and be killed by being lifted up on the Cross. A cross is a terrible punishment that only a very vile person could deserve—the cross is fit for the devil himself. Yet Jesus is subjected to a fate the devil deserves. To outward appearances, Jesus looks like an evil criminal on the Cross. There is no visible sign of his innocence or his divinity. The cross was a means of execution, like the electric chair. It’s highly ironic that the cross in now a sign of health care and hospitals. Would the electric chair ever be sign of healing? Would people ever wear gold electric chairs around”
― John Bergsma, The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Mass Readings for Solemnities and Feasts