Word to the Wise
Sunday, March 21, 2021 - 5th Sunday of Lent - B
[Jer 31:31-34; Heb 5:7-9; John 12:20-33]"Sir, we would like to see 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." [John]
[Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5:7-9; John 12:20-33. These are the scriptures for Sunday cycle B. In some places, especially where RCIA "scrutinies" are taking place, the scriptures from Cycle A may be used. A reflection on these can be found at my website, <rbwords.com> by using the "search machine" at the site.]
The incident reported in today's gospel scripture from the Gospel According to John takes place soon after Jesus arrives in Jerusalem for the third and last time. Some Greek-speaking Jews ask to see him. He responds with a reference to his "hour," a term he uses throughout the Gospel According to John. One might remember at the beginning of his ministry at the wedding feast of Cana his response to his mother, "My hour has not yet come!" Today, he alerts us that his mission is about to reach its culmination - his "hour to be glorified."
The image of the grain of wheat falling into the ground and dying speaks to the transformation that Jesus will undergo from crucifixion to resurrection, but it also speaks to all of us who believe in him as the one whom God has sent. The "death" of a seed that has the potential to sprout is not the end of life of the seed but its transformation from seed to a fruit-bearing plant. This kind of death begins for us in baptism but like all seeds and plants it requires a steady effort to bring it to fruition. Everyday Christian life requires a constant dying to oneself so that the life of Christ may be made visible in us. The dramatic events of Holy Week are ahead of us liturgically, but each day of the year there is someone who would like to "see Jesus." Will we be the ones who reveal him? AMEN