Fifth Sunday of Lent

03-18-2018Weekly Reflection©2018 Liturgical Publications, Inc

Now there were some Greeks among those who had come to worship at the feast. They came to Philip and asked him, 'Sir, we would like to see Jesus.'" It has begun. News of Jesus has spread beyond native-born, Aramaic-speaking Jews. We don't know if the Greeks mentioned here heard of Jesus from fellow travelers or if news of this intriguing rabbi had reached all the way to their home. What we do know is that this interaction spurred an interesting comment from Jesus: "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." In other words, it has begun. The time has come for the message to move beyond the geographic bounds of Israel.

But what does this message require? The Gospel is clear: "he said this indicating the kind of death he would die." A grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies to its life as only a seed. A caterpillar takes on the appearance of temporary death in order to transform into a butterfly. In the Gospels, sacrifice and death are a way of becoming something more than you were before.

This Lent, new life can come from our sacrifices. When we enter into the season with Jesus, our difficulties can transform our perspective. "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." As we abstain from meat and fast from eating between meals, we can grow in compassion for the hungry. We can give alms of our time, sacrificially spending time with the lonely, the sick, and the marginalized. Our little Lenten "deaths" -- death to unnecessary preferences, death to selfish living, death to ignorance of other's pain -- can bring new life to the world long after the season is over. This is the invitation this Sunday and every Lenten season, to begin anew from death to life.

"Quisiéramos ver a Jesús". (Juan 12:20). En el Evangelio de Juan ver significa mucho más que ver físicamente, significa tener una experiencia personal, entrar directamente en el corazón de quien se ve. Viendo detenidamente y con cuidado especial, significa el poder creer y palpar con todos los sentidos de lo que se ve y de esta manera sucesivamente se da testimonio. Aquellos griegos querían ver a Jesús, deseaban, entender el misterio tan grande que había en el. Jesús, les da gusto dejándose ver. Pero, les confunde, al revelarles el misterio profundo de su misión. Y les dice. "En verdad les digo: Si el grano de trigo no cae en tierra y muere, queda solo; pero si muere, da mucho fruto." (Juan 12:24-25).

El reto de este Evangelio es el servicio y de cómo al ver las necesidades que nos rodean respondemos. Así se pierde la vida ayudando a los demás en la vida de todos los días. ¡Todo sea para ganar la vida eterna! El discipulado implica imitar a Jesús. No se admiten quejas, la vida se da a la familia, y comunidad muriendo y resucitando. Aprendiendo a servir es que somos grandes dadores de los frutos que Dios nos ha regalado.

Sin embargo, vemos que en la sociedad actual la gente se desvive por ser reconocida e importante, aunque para lograrlo lastimen a los de su alrededor. Dios desea nuestra transformación -proceso de toda la vida. ¿Cuánto tiempo toma a la oruga hacerse mariposa? ¿Cuánto tiempo tomará el aprender a servir imitando el estilo de Jesús? Pidamos, al Señor, que seamos fieles discípulos suyos, muriendo cada día por hacer el bien a los demás.

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