Praying the communion Antiphon series: Tuesday fifth week of Lent

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon

A Time Set Apart: Tuesday, Fifth Week of Lent

Lifted Up

Communion Antiphon (John 8:21 / cf. 8:28)
When you have lifted up the Son of Man,
then you will know that I am he, says the Lord.

 

Thinking About the Words

“When you have lifted up the Son of Man…”

At first, this sounds like a gesture of honour.

But in John’s Gospel, “lifted up” has a deeper meaning.

It points to:

• the Cross
• the moment of apparent defeat
• the place where Jesus is raised up before the world

So “lifting up” is both:

• suffering
• and glory

 

“Then you will know…”

Knowledge here is not intellectual.

It is recognition through encounter.

Only when Jesus is lifted up — on the Cross — will people truly understand who He is.

 

“I am he”

This is very important.

In John’s Gospel, this echoes the divine name:

“I AM”

So Jesus is not simply saying “it is me.”

He is revealing His identity as:

• the one sent by the Father
• the one who shares in God’s very being

And this revelation happens through the Cross.

During the Passion in the garden, Jesus uses these same words 3 times. With each statement, the pharisees and elders who came to arrest Him, react.

The Lenten Movement

Now we are very close to Holy Week.

The focus shifts:

• earlier: light, thirst, healing
• now: the Cross begins to appear clearly

Lent is leading us to this moment:

We will understand who Jesus truly is…
when we see Him lifted up.

 

Connection to the Gospel

Today’s Gospel (John 8:21–30) shows misunderstanding.

The people ask: “Who are you?”  They cannot grasp what Jesus is saying.

And Jesus responds: They will understand later.

When? When He is lifted up.

 

At Communion

This antiphon is very powerful at Communion.

We receive the One who will be:

• lifted up
• given for us
• revealed through love on the Cross

The Eucharist quietly brings that reality into the present.

 

Reflection

• What does “lifting up” mean in my understanding of Jesus?
• Do I recognise the Cross as the place of revelation, not just suffering?
• Where might God be inviting me to trust even when I do not fully understand?
• How does the Cross reveal who God truly is?

 

This is a turning point in Lent.

We move from:

• seeing
• receiving
• and believing

to:

understanding through the Cross. This is because in John’s Gospel, the deepest truth is this: We come to know Jesus most fully…
when He is lifted up.

 

 Prayer

Lord,
when I look upon the Cross,
help me to recognise who you are.
Teach me to trust in your love
even when the path is difficult.