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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider The son of man [must] be lifted up

The son of man [must] be lifted up

Published Jan 9, 2026 12:02 am  |  Updated Jan 8, 2026 04:16 pm
REFLECTIONS TODAY
In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus speaks of the bronze serpent lifted up by Moses in the desert (Nm 21:4-9). The Israelites who were wandering in the desert were losing their faith and rebelled against God and against Moses.
In punishment, the Lord sent seraph serpents which bit the people so that many of them died. When the people repented, God ordered Moses to make a bronze serpent and mount it in a pole. Anyone who had been bitten and looked at the bronze serpent recovered. The mounted pole, for the evangelist John, is the image of Jesus “mounted” on the cross of Calvary. Those who gaze at the crucified Jesus with faith will have eternal life. For the cross is the sign of God’s love for the world. God does not spare his only begotten Son in order to save humanity. He sends him to earth and allows him to be sacrificed on the cross. The cross, formerly a symbol of shame, cruelty, and curse, becomes an instrument of victory and life. Popular religiosity today is one of the most powerful occasions where people are able to connect with their faith. Through popular religiosity, many families encounter God and are enlivened in their faith.
Such is the devotion to the Jesus Nazareno, the Suffering Christ. Msgr. Clem Ignacio, former rector of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, shares: “We can learn more about it if we are willing to take off our shoes and kneel, to be touched and to bow. Only then will we see the beauty of the faith we have received from Christ in the wonderful eyes of the Filipino anawim.”
Gospel • John 3:13-17 [Luke 5:12-16]

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
Prayer to Señor Jesus Nazareno
O most sweet Jesus Nazarene, my God and Redeemer, who had trodden the road to Calvary with the weight of the cross on your shoulders: look down on me a sinner who is now giving praise to your sufferings. I also thank you for saving me through your sweet acceptance of sufferings on the cross.
Forgive me my sins, O good Jesus. I acknowledge my weaknesses and I trust that out of the boundless mercy you will wash with your blood my inumerable sins. I love you above all things, and I promise to be faithful to your commandments unto the hour of my death.
Be with me, Lord, and guide my steps so that I may reach the end of this earthly journey to the Kingdom of heaven. Amen.
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2026.” E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

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