Fifth Sunday of Lent
Today's Readings:
Today's Reflection
The reading from Jeremiah reminds us of the new covenant the Lord made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. The Lord says, “I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Imagine, God has written his law of love upon their hearts – and upon ours as well! As a result, we have a special place as the people of God. This special place calls us to a special relationship and also to special service. The Psalm asks God to give back to us the “joy of your salvation” and to sustain in us a “willing soul”. It is sounding as if there is a ‘price’ for this relationship!The answer unfolds in the Gospel. With the arrival of the Greeks, we see that Jesus’ “hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified”. And immediately he tells us what that ‘price’ is when he says, “…unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” Jesus is describing for us ‘”The Paschal Mystery” – suffering, death and transformation – and, in this passage he is preparing the disciples for his own passion, death and resurrection.Perhaps Jesus is even preparing himself! He admits, “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice from heaven tells him, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”Jesus honestly admits his feelings to his Father. He has that deep, intimate relationship of trust that knows that the Father remains in and with him no matter what happens. During this Lenten season we ask Jesus to prepare each of us for “the hour” as he invites us to serve him and to follow him. Do we understand what this means? Are we willing to spend the time in prayer so that what God has “written on our hearts” may be revealed to us? Do we see the challenges in our lives as opportunities to tell the Lord of our fears? Of our doubts? Of our deepest feelings?Lent give us the opportunity to explore daily the “grains of wheat” in our lives: those areas which need to fall to the ground and die; those areas which are obstacles on the spiritual journey. Jesus calls us into this Paschal Mystery – and, especially during Lent, invites us to examine our unconscious values that keep us from knowing what the Lord has written on our hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment