5^th SUNDAY OF LENT

 

Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34

                 Hebrew 5: 7-9

                  John 12:20-33

 

 

“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground

and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat.”

 

 

            Today is the fifth Sunday of Lent, just a week before the Holy Week. As usual, our liturgy prepares us for such sacred celebration. Thus, today’s gospel talks about: first, the coming of Jesus’ hour as the hour of glorification; second, such glorification consists in the cross; third, this must happen that he may draw everyone unto himself. Let us meditate in these points.

 

            1.         “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” The concept of “hour” (or time) forms a very important part in the whole economy of salvation. Prophecies are foretold in time and are fulfilled just exactly in their appropriate time. Take the incarnation prophecies, for example. Christ was neither born centuries before (although the world existed billions or even trillions of years ago) nor centuries after (although our present age is quite advanced compared to some two thousand years ago) simply because neither of the two is the “time.” Christ came into the world just in the fullness of time. This is one truth revealed to us that “when the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted sons” (Gal 4:4).

 

            What happens in the incarnation is also true in his passion and death. The paschal event happens just at the right time. This is what we find in the gospels. In many occasions, the enemies of Christ deign to have him killed. But in such occasions, too, he easily escapes from death – in fact, he confidently dismisses those threats – because he knows his time has not yet come.

 

            Today the hour has come, and he prepares himself for it. But what is quite striking here is the fact that this coming hour is the hour of glorification. And more so, such glorification is two-fold: glorification of himself and glorification of the Father. Thus, while he flatly says that the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified, he also prays: “Father, glorify your name,” to which the Father answers: “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”

 

            2.         Such glorification Christ is referring to is nothing else but his suffering and death on the cross. This is the first paradox we find in our gospel today. That is probably why Jesus’ heart is deeply troubled although he has all the reasons to rejoice because of the two-fold glorification which is soon to take place. While his purpose is just so noble and divine, he could not help but accept that he is also weak and human. The agony in Calvary horrifies him most so that while he accepts the challenge with courage he also trembles in fear. But he has no way out if he wants to remain faithful to his cause and obedient to his Father’s will. This is very well portrayed in his prayerful confirmation with the Father in the garden of Gethsemane. He sheds tears of blood, if only to be spared. But not his will but his Father’s must be done.

 

            This makes him so pleasing to the Father. This is in fact the core of today’s second reading. With such perfect obedience, the father becomes truly glorified in him. And as the Father is glorified in the Son’s obedience, the Son is in fact glorified too in his Father’s will. That is, the son must die on the cross. Thus, the death of Christ on the cross is not a shameful defeat, but a glorious victory. Before the human eyes it may appear a humiliation, but in God’s divine plan it is exaltation. In its beginning it means death, but in the end it is actually life. This is why in and out of seasons, Christians always proclaim the glory of the cross.

 

            3.         “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.” --- This is the second paradox in the gospel. And this is no mere rhetoric, but fundamentally evangelic. This we already explained last Sunday as evangelical necessity. However, today’s gospel even leads us to a much broader and larger sense of it. The paradox brings at least three important meanings.

 

            First, Christ's death on the cross bears fruit in the catholicity of the Christian faith. It is quite interesting to note that Christ, in his life time, seems to confine himself to the house of Israel. True, not only once but in several occasions do we find Christ performing his ministry to non-Jews. But his dealings with them are quite evidently different. For instance, he cures the centurion’s servant from a distance (Mt 8:5-13); he explicitly calls the Canaanite woman so harshly as “dog” (Mt 15:21-28); and when at last he sends his disciples for their mission, he reminds them: “Do not visit pagan territory and do not enter a Samaritan town. Go instead after the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt 10:6). This we may understand as part of the primary purpose of his coming, namely, to preach salvation first to the house of Israel. But looking deeper at it leads us to something more pedagogical. Meaning, while salvation is being offered first to the Jews, the Jews are even the first ones to reject it. And this final and most cruel form of rejection is shown in the crucifixion. Thus, salvation must be preached to those who accept it. And surely this shall take place, but only after the victory of the cross. In this context, the cross again becomes necessary. For unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if dies, it produces much fruit. And as history proves that smallest seed of faith sown and died has turned out to be the largest of all shrubs.

 

            Second, the glory of the cross realizes the foretold new covenant. This is the insight we can get from our first reading. But what is more interesting is the fact that Jeremiah foretells this to take place in the appropriate time which we understand as the time of the messiah. While the cross brings universality of the Christian faith, the people of this flock are the people of the new covenant. And unlike the people of the old covenant who were governed with the law written on tablets of stone, this new people shall be ruled by the law inscribed in their hearts.

 

            Third, the triumph of the cross gives meaning even to smallest sacrifice we experience. The richness of today’s insight cannot help itself but overflow into our individual lives as believers. We know that life’s journey is full of sacrifices. In comparison to the joys we experience, the pains in this life are just overwhelmingly greater. But this must not bring us immunity as if one then acquires a stony heart before life’s burden. Rather, sacrifices however small must even mellow us down before the Father’s will. This is just the example Christ sets once and for all. Thus, the paradox of the cross stands as a great reminder to all.

 

            “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.”