This is a depiction of our first reading today from Numbers chapter 21. Jesus applies this image to himself in John and in today’s gospel (John 8) talks of himself as being lifted up. At this stage in Lent we see the Lord crucified as a source of healing, like the bronze serpent, for all of us.
Today has been designated as a special day of prayer by our bishops, on the anniversary of the first lockdown; we seek a great deal of healing in this land and in the world. Ambulances which have taken so many to hospital in the last year bear the serpent symbol, a universal sign of healthcare. We mourn today the 125,000 + who have died as a result of Covid-19 in the last year and lament for so many others whose lives have been damaged in various ways; and we ask forgiveness for our sins over the last year.
God bless and take care
Fr Ashley
The final talk in our parish Lent programme is tomorrow from 730, livestreamed from www.saintedmunds.net (and recorded)….
Posted by St Edmund’s Church, Beckenham on Tuesday, March 23, 2021