5th Sunday of Lent (Fr. Francis)

A priest is walking around the neighborhood. From a distance, he sees a very small boy trying to press the doorbell of one house. But he is very small, and he cannot reach the doorbell. The priest, out of pity, walks toward the boy, and stands behind him. Then, placing his hand kindly on the child’s shoulder, leans over and presses the doorbell long and hard. Afterwards, the priest smiles kindly and asks, “And now what, little guy?” With a mischievous smile, the boy hurriedly replies, “Now, it’s time to run!”

Much of the troubles in the world are caused by people who would rather run away than face their problems, difficulties, and sufferings. Drug addiction, divorce, abortion, and all vices are results of this desire to run away and avoid difficult situations. But we must be constantly reminded that suffering is part of our human existence in this world. Problems and difficulties are realities in the world that we cannot avoid. It is utterly pointless to run away from them.

We see sufferings everywhere. For many of us, it is understandable if those who are suffering are the evil people. But that is not the case. What we see are innocent people and children who suffer the most. That is why we are tempted to complain to God. Why do the good and innocent suffer? If God is love and full of mercy, why does He allow these people to suffer? If God is all- powerful, why does He not put a stop to suffering?

The answer to all these questions is right in front of us: the image of Jesus nailed to the cross. God became man like us in all things but sin. Jesus is God in human flesh. It is God who is nailed to the cross. It is God who suffers and dies. And He never complained. He did not succumb to the temptation to use His powers to get down from the cross. He did not stop His own suffering. All these He endured so that we can be saved and have the fullness of life. The image of Jesus on the cross simply tells us one very important truth: God has no intention of taking away suffering from the world. In fact, He, too, suffered, for in His unfathomable wisdom, He knows there is great value in suffering: “Amen, amen, I say to you, 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).

And if we are suffering in this world, the cross tells us that God is also suffering – for us and with us. We are not suffering alone; God is one with us in our suffering. The suffering and death of Jesus gained for us eternal life. He was the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, and his death brought life and salvation to the whole world. This truth must give us inspiration and strength to bear our crosses patiently and follow Jesus to Calvary.

Unfortunately, many people remain in the darkness of death due to selfishness and sin. Selfishness is what prevents us from living life to the full. Jesus reminds us: “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.” (Jn 12:25). Clinging on to a life in this world, which ultimately is passing away makes us blind to the beauty and infinite goodness of eternal life. On the other hand, willingness to let go of this life for the sake of eternity helps us discover the fullness of life here and hereafter.

It is only in dying to our self that we begin to live. Like the bread that must be broken to be shared to others; and like the candle that must be consumed to give light, so also, we must learn to give of ourselves, to die to ourselves, for others to live. In so doing, we make our own lives more meaningful and fruitful, for we can share fully in the life Jesus – a life of total self-giving. For truly, as beautifully put by St. Francis of Assisi, “it is in giving that we receive; it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

During the remaining days of Lent, let us seriously do some acts of self-denial: fasting, abstinence, almsgiving, sacrifices and acts of penance. These will surely help us practice dying. Saying “no” to our pleasurable vices, saying “no” to a comfortable and pampered lifestyle, saying “no” to selfish search for worldly gain and success will be very painful for most of us and could be tantamount to dying. But we must, in order that we may be able to share ourselves with others – so that others may live. This is what martyrdom means nowadays, not anymore bloody martyrdom, but equally painful and fruitful martyrdom.

In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah speaks of the new covenant not written in stone as in former time but in the hearts of God’s people. Jeremiah was one of the great prophets during the time of great change and upheaval in Israel. The Temple had been destroyed and the Ark of the Covenant had been captured. These unprecedented acts of sacrilege and destruction had caused the people to turn to despair and disillusionment. Yet Jeremiah set out to do the impossible task, which was to restore faith and hope. He reminded the people of the journey into freedom from Egypt and the God who accompanied them.

This same God would lead them in a greater exodus to new life, freedom, and hope. They were to be given to a new chance, a new heart to participate in God’s program of renewal and reordering of his people. Only this time, it would not be simply an occupation of the Promise Land as in former time, but more importantly a formation of a just and compassionate society that God wanted them to be.

In the Gospel, Jesus also speaks about the importance of vulnerability, the importance to take a risk, to give up the certainty of being a seed for the adventure of new life, new growth, and new possibilities. The story begins with the Greeks or Gentiles wanting to meet Jesus. They had seen or heard of the many extraordinary things, or in John’s cryptic language, the many “signs” Jesus had done. For instance, he had healed the man born blind; he had raised Lazarus to life, and he had made a triumphant entry into Jerusalem. These were all messianic “signs”, which pointed to the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah. The Gentiles were anxious to know who Jesus really was.

Yet ironically, their curiosity was satisfied in the way they had not expected. Instead of confirming the cult of his own personality Jesus talks about himself in terms of an anti-hero and a countercultural force. He uses the image of the grain to speak of his impending passion, death, and resurrection. “Unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest”. Like many of his parables, these words of Jesus compel us to look at his whole life and impact to understand their meaning.

Jesus refuses the hero worship and the power over the people in the wake of his miracles and extraordinary deeds. He is not the Messiah one who dwells on success and feasts on popularity. We are reminded of the temptations that Jesus experienced in the desert at the start of his ministry. He was tempted to do spectacular things, to be powerful, dominant and in control. He rejected them and instead, chose the path of vulnerable trust, the path of an antihero, a humble suffering Messiah.

Brothers and sisters, as followers of Jesus, we are challenged by the message and example of Jesus. The Lenten journey requires of us to live more intensely the rhythm of dying and rising. What does it mean for us to be a wheat grain that is willing to die? How do we lose our lives to gain it back? These questions can only be answered by each of us as we endeavor to imitate Jesus who lived his life fully for others. As disciples, we recognize that life worth living is life poured out for others, life that embraces pain, suffering and even death for the sake of the one we love. This is what we call the paradox of the Gospel. Paul reminds us that while Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, we proclaim Christ crucified. The cross is at the heart of Christian discipleship.

In some ways, we are like the Jews who were in despair and disillusionment on account of the unprecedented change and upheaval which are happening around us. Yet just as the prophet Jeremiah pointed them to the program of renewal that God had in store for them, we too must see with God’s eyes our own crises. The church after the Royal Commission like the Jews after the exile must be the place where justice, compassion, mercy, and the fullness of life are set above all other considerations. We need to convert to the radical vision of Christ and let it imbue our attitudes, actions, and pastoral practices.

Let us pray that we respond to the message of Jesus, not by words but by attitudes and actions that reflect the radical vision of Christian life. Let us pray that we may be able to live fully that power in vulnerability especially during this time of the great cleansing and renewal in our Church. May all of us enact the rhythm of the Paschal Mystery of dying and rising in the pattern of our Lord. Amen.

Fr. A. Francis HGN