Cycle B - Year I:  

21 March 2021; Fifth Sunday of Lent

(Liturgical Color: Violet)

Readings:

First Reading:        Jeremiah 31:31-34

Second Reading:   Hebrews 5:7-9

Gospel:  Please Read  John 12:20-33

"To die, in order to live!"

As we come near the end of our Lenten pilgrimage, the Mass readings prepare us for the mystery of our Lord's passion and glorification.  The Gospel reading in particular begins to prepare us for the events of Holy Week with hints of the drama that will unfold in the days ahead.  

In the Gospel narrative for this Sunday's liturgy, our Lord Jesus took the opportunity to bring His disciples to a new and deeper understanding of their faith.  He wanted to teach them who He really is and what His mission is about.

Jesus spoke to the disciples about His "hour of glory", referring to His death and resurrection. "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." (Jn 12:23)

Before we go further in our reflection, let us first understand the style of writing by the evangelist John.  Bible scholars say that, unlike  the Synoptic Gospels, the Gospel written by John does not carry parables.  However, John uses similitudes, which function like parables.  (According to Google, a parable is a short narrative illustrating a lesson, usually religious or moral, by comparison or analogy, whereas similitude is similarity or resemblance to something else.)

Our Lord uses similitude-parable of the grain of wheat to reveal the mystery of His passion and glorification.  He told His disciples: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." (Jn 12:24)  Thus, to die in order to live is the paradox of our Christian faith.

So what do we understand by this teaching?

Well, the grain of wheat is Jesus.  We can say that in His earthly life, He is naturally constrained by physical limitations.  But in His death and resurrection, Jesus came to redeem the world from sin and restore human beings to a proper relationship with their heavenly Father, and open up the gates of heaven to all who come to know and love Him.  Thus, Jesus' glory is revealed, not only in His resurrection but also in the very act of dying.

Jesus tells us in the Gospel, as He told Andrew and Philip, that if we want to have a full comprehension of His Lordship, we must be ready to die from our own selfish desires.

We must be ready to lose our worldly lives in order to have eternal life with Him.  And if we really want to truly serve our Lord we must be ready to bear our own cross as He carried His own cross on His way to Calvary.

Truly, a life with Jesus is never easy but it is only through Him that we will discover the true meaning of our life.

For Christians in our generation, Jesus is telling us to follow in His path of suffering and resurrection.  We must become the seed of grain that dies, the life that loses itself, and the servant who follows in our Lord's footsteps.

In our daily lives, we also have moments like Jesus, when we know we need to take a path that will be difficult and painful.  Are we willing to surrender ourselves into God's hands?  Do we trust God to be with us?  Do we believe that God will also strengthen and console us? Do we trust that we will not be alone in this difficult journey?

Our Lord Jesus became human like us.  He experienced many of the unpleasant realities of life that we also have to deal with.  Yet, He completely trusted His Father, to support and help Him in every step of His saving mission.  So today we ask our Lord Jesus to give us a share of His trust and faith in the Father.  And may we say "yes" to what life is asking us at this time in our lives to proclaim God's kingdom here on earth.  For truly God will be with us as we do His will.

A blessed Sunday to us all.  And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!