Bellarmine
University
“THE
EYES HAVE IT:” Part 4, “Choosing Sight”
Rev.
Ronald Knott
March
15, 2015
Serpents were biting people and many
died.
So Moses made a bronze image of a
serpent,
put it on a pole and made them look at
it.
Numbers 21
If
you have ever been in the hospital or flipped through the phone book looking
for a physician, you’ve seen the image – two winged serpents wrapped around a
staff. It is known as the caduceus. It has been the symbol of the
American medical profession for nearly a hundred years – a decidedly odd symbol
for doctors until you begin to investigate where it came from and its
underlying meaning.
This
ancient symbol of healing is referred to today’s first reading and the
gospel. In their trek across the desert from the slavery of Egypt to the
freedom of the Promised Land, the People of God underwent all sorts of trials
and troubles. The one mentioned today is their plague of biting winged
serpents. After praying for delivery from this awful plague, God instructs Moses
to make a bronze image of the same serpents, put it on a pole and invite the
people to take a good hard look at it. When they looked at it hard and long,
they recovered.
Now
this may sound like some kind of voodoo magic, but it isn’t! It’s primitive
psychology! All you future nurses, doctors, psychologists and mental health
professionals, listen up! What Moses did here is still good practice! What he
is saying here is that the road to healing is always through looking at the
problem squarely. Failing to look at problems squarely is the best way to keep
them going!
The
worst thing you can do, if you have a mysterious lump on your body, is to
pretend it isn’t there! You need to pay close attention to it and have a
professional examine it carefully and as soon as possible. The worst thing to
do is to look the other way and pretend that it isn’t there! Healing begins
with noticing!
The
worst thing you can do, if you are having financial problems, is to keep on
spending and pretending that the problem doesn’t really exist! If you are
having such problems, you need to face some hard facts and get some help as
soon as possible. The worst thing to do is to look away and pretend the problem
does not exist! Recovery begins with facing that which is painful to face,
squarely!
The
worst thing you can do, if you or one of your friends has a drinking or drug
problem, is to look away and pretend that it isn’t there! Reality must be faced
squarely and help must be sought as soon as possible. The worst thing to do is
to look away and pretend the problem does not exist! Recovery begins with
facing facts squarely! That’s why people in AA must first of all say to
themselves and others, “I am an alcoholic!” before their healing can
begin!
We
live in a world that has avoidance down to a fine art! If we don’t like
something, we look away! Nowhere is it more obvious than the mushrooming credit
card debt, when people spend and spend when they can barely pay the interest,
even using one credit card to pay the interest on another!
Nowhere
is it more obvious than in our national obesity problem. Instead of facing this problem individually,
every time we sit down to eat, we keep stuffing our faces with massive amounts
of bad food, while we wait for that magic pill that will melt fat away as we
sleep. According to Dr. Phil’s new massive diet program, for the first time in
our history the next generation will die younger than their parents because of
obesity related problems.
Moses
didn’t put it this way, but this is what he meant – all of us need to “wake up
and smell the coffee” in several areas of our lives! As a culture, we are
addicted to our denial. Whatever it is, we need to open our eyes and take a
good hard look at reality and quit going to sleep just because it is
comfortable and feels good for the moment!
And,
yes, on a spiritual level, looking at Jesus dying on the cross – looking
intently at it and understanding what it means – not looking away and not
avoiding our responsibility in considering its implications - is the path to our eternal life as
well!
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