Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Look Up To Christ
Liturgical Cycle: A, B, C | Lectionary Cycle: I, II
Introduction
An incontestable truth is that only faith saves. In the history of the Israelites, they demonstrated their belief in this truth. While they were wandering in the desert, they became rebellious to God. They were punished by God by sending them poisonous snakes. Eventually, they repented and asked God to deliver them. They have shown their faith in God’s power. It is presented here in the form of a bronze serpent staff that whoever see the staff will be cured. The Pharisees have to accept Christ in faith if they want to be saved. We too, must look up to the cross with eyes of faith to become free people and God’s sons and daughters. And we, the Church, must become the sign of salvation raised above the nations.
Opening Prayer
Our saving, merciful God,
wandering in our deserts
of injustice and lack of love,
we cry out with fear
or are stunned into silence,
some into doubt or despair.
Give us enough trusting faith
to look up to him,
who took our evil and doubts upon himself,
and suffered them on a cross, and rose from them,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (2) O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
O LORD, hear my prayer,
and let my cry come to you.
Hide not your face from me
in the day of my distress.
Incline your ear to me;
in the day when I call, answer me speedily.
R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
“The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die.”
R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
Alleluia Verse
Glory and Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
all who come to him will live for ever.
Glory and Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ
Prayers of the Faithful
– For people who suffer much, that they may look up in faith and hope to Jesus on the cross for strength and healing, we pray:
– For a deep faith in the love of God, whose Son, Jesus, suffered for us on the cross, we pray:
– For all of us, that we may look up to the cross as a liberating sign for all those who follow Jesus, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
we celebrate the memorial
of the passion and death of Jesus.
May our encounter with your Son
save us from the evil in us
and help us to rise above it,
for we know and believe
that he is with us,
and that he is your Son,
one God with you and with the Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
you have called your Church –
that is us – to be your sign
set in the sight of nations.
May our living faith in your Son
inspire people to discover and encounter him,
that with him, we may always do
what pleases you and serve you.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
Pain, suffering, death, will always remain a scandal and a mystery, something difficult to bear. Yet, there is Jesus, who accepted the cross to save us. We are disciples of him who died on the cross. However hard it may be, let us learn to bear it when it comes to us in the circumstances of life. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTION:
John 8: 21-30
Choosing not to believe is suicidal.
The rebellion of Israel in the desert is a constant theme that the Church takes up for the liturgical reflections. The entire story of the Exodus has so much in common with the life of the Church in the modern world.
Israel wanted freedom from slavery. But the path that led to freedom involved risks and troubles. Indeed, liberation is not a bed of roses. Like the people of Israel in the desert, we, the Church today, are heading towards God’s freedom and salvation. But like the Israelites of the Old Testament, we are unwilling to go through pain and suffering. We are tempted to modify the plans of God, and we would prefer to tell God how he should free us, heal us and save us.
Being from this world, being from below, implies we are under the power of sin. For the author of the Gospel, the term “world” referred to the society distorted by the sin in which he lived. We would remain blinded by sin until we can differentiate their illusions and detach ourselves from the powers that divide us.
Is there a way out or a cure for this blindness? The only remedy is to listen to Jesus. We would die in our sins unless we accept Jesus as our God and surrender to him in faith. But instead, when we surrender to him in faith, Jesus promises us eternity in the embrace of God.
The lifting up of the Son of Man referred to Jesus’ being lifted up on the cross. When Jesus tells the Jews, ‘where he is going, they cannot come’, he refers to his return to the Father, a venue to which only the believer will be admitted. He again identifies himself as “I AM,” the personal name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. In our faith, we believe we have been “lifted up.” and are convinced that Jesus is truly the “I AM.”
To fail to recognize who Jesus is – and refuse to acknowledge him as the Son of God - is to remain in darkness – the darkness of sin, ignorance, and unbelief. But if we turn to Jesus and listen to his Word, we will find lasting peace and joy. Our time in this world is limited and short, but how we live it today has consequences not only for the present moment but also for our eternal destiny.
Indeed, we have opted to believe in Jesus, but the question is, how do we express our faith in him?
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John 8:21-30
Seek the Lord first
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of His departure, warning those around Him that they will seek Him but not find Him, because they refuse to believe. His words are both a call and a challenge to us during this Lenten journey: “Seek the Lord while He may be found” (Isaiah 55:6). Lent is a sacred time to seek God, to fill the emptiness within us with His presence. Without God, our hearts remain restless. With Him, we find peace, purpose, and joy. Seek Him and live!
Jesus reminds us that he is “from above.” Our lives are meant for something greater. No matter how heavy our burdens, or how often plans fail, our destiny is not here but in Heaven. Lent urges us to lift our gaze beyond this world, to recognize that our story ends not in sorrow but in the joy of eternal life.
The most reassuring message comes from Jesus: “The one who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone." In times of hardship, we are never forsaken. God is by our side, and we are meant to support one another during challenging times. As a Christian community, we are united through compassion and shared assistance.
Jesus encountered rejection for remaining committed to His mission. Are we ready to follow suit? To live genuinely, staying true to God’s calling, even at the expense of our popularity or comfort?
Lent calls us to reflect deeply, to rediscover our identity as God sees us—cherished, designed with a purpose. Each of us holds a unique beauty that God desires to unveil in us for the benefit of others. Let us embrace this Lent with courage, hope, and a heart that seeks Him in everything.