Reflection for Sunday March 21, Fifth Sunday of Lent: John 12:20-33

Gospel: John 12:20-33

Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus. Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 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. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. 

“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 came from heaven “I have glorified it and will glorify it again. The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder but others said, “An angel has spoken to him. Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself. He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

The story is told about a man sick with cancer that asked the Lord, why me O Lord? I do not deserve this severe sickness! But he said, “I will embrace this trial in my life for I know that you have a good reason why I have this affliction.”  From thereon he resigned from his job and devoted his remaining time in this world on spreading the word of God. He was very successful in his new vocation for he led many to Jesus. 

There are instances in life that we have to encounter trials for us to lose our life in this world. And give this very same life a new breath of life in the vineyard of the Lord. Such is God when He wants to call us to advance His kingdom. He creates mysterious instances for us to find Him. 

 But how would we know that the good Lord has a mission for us?  We simply have to become sensitive to His call and be ready to leave everything and embrace something that is worthy and noble even if it is not easy to do. We could only find this new kind of life when we are ready to abandon everything into the hands of God. 

In the gospel, Jesus is already insinuating of His coming arrest, passion and death on the cross. In His humanity Jesus had His own trepidation during that fearful time. So He simply left everything into  the  hands of God. It was not easy for Him to do but Jesus had to embrace it so that He could fulfill His mission of salvation. 

There comes a point in your life that you also have to make a choice in order for you to find the real essence and meaning of your life. This is not easy to do most especially if you are already used to the present life that you have. But how can you find the real meaning of your life if you are afraid to hear the call of the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas