Catholic Daily Mass Readings and Reflections April 5, 2022
4 They left Mount Hor by the road to the Sea of Suph, to skirt round Edom. On the way the people lost patience.
5 They spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the desert? For there is neither food nor water here; we are sick of this meagre diet.’
6 At this, God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel.
7 The people came and said to Moses, ‘We have sinned by speaking against Yahweh and against you. Intercede for us with Yahweh to save us from these serpents.’ Moses interceded for the people,
8 and Yahweh replied, ‘Make a fiery serpent and raise it as a standard. Anyone who is bitten and looks at it will survive.’
9 Moses then made a serpent out of bronze and raised it as a standard, and anyone who was bitten by a serpent and looked at the bronze serpent survived.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21
2 Do not turn away your face from me when I am in trouble; bend down and listen to me, when I call, be quick to answer me!
3 For my days are vanishing like smoke, my bones burning like an oven;
16 when Yahweh builds Zion anew, he will be seen in his glory;
17 he will turn to hear the prayer of the destitute, and will not treat their prayer with scorn.
18 This shall be put on record for a future generation, and a people yet to be born shall praise God:
19 Yahweh has leaned down from the heights of his sanctuary, has looked down from heaven to earth,
20 to listen to the sighing of the captive, and set free those condemned to death,
21 to proclaim the name of Yahweh in Zion, his praise in Jerusalem;
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21 Again he said to them: I am going away; you will look for me and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.
22 So the Jews said to one another, ‘Is he going to kill himself, that he says, “Where I am going, you cannot come?” ‘
23 Jesus went on: You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 I have told you already: You will die in your sins. Yes, if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.
25 So they said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus answered: What I have told you from the outset.
26 About you I have much to say and much to judge; but the one who sent me is true, and what I declare to the world I have learnt from him.
27 They did not recognise that he was talking to them about the Father.
28 So Jesus said: When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing of my own accord. What I say is what the Father has taught me;
29 he who sent me is with me, and has not left me to myself, for I always do what pleases him.
30 As he was saying this, many came to believe in him.
