The readings for Mass today are rich in meaning and food for thought. Maybe that is why we are having these readings on the fifth Sunday of Lent, just before Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. It’s time to get serious about what we have left of Lent.
Have you gone to confession yet? Whether you have or not, all of us should stop the whirlwind of activity that so many of us do every day, and spend some quiet time in prayer and thoughtful reflection about how we are living our lives. Even if our attempts to grow in holiness and draw closer to Jesus have been half-hearted so far, we still have two weeks of Lent left to set things right before Easter.
A good place to start is found in a single sentence in the first reading for Mass today:
“I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts.”
This refers to our conscience. It is also called the “moral law” or the “natural law”, and all people have this, even those who have never even heard of Jesus Christ or God the Father. We know deep down inside of us when something isn’t right though. Even if everyone else thinks something is ok, a person instinctively knows right from wrong. You either listen to your conscience and do the right thing, or if you ignore your conscience long enough, your soul will become desensitized to the moral law. By that time you will be quite skilled at ignoring your feelings and your soul will have become dead inside, lacking in Spirit and life.
Real life, real joy, is found in loving God and loving other people. Such a simple statement, but so hard to live out sometimes …
If you continue with the first reading, it went on to say:
“No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the Lord. All from the least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord.”
And if you think about it, this is true. Mankind has perceived God in so many different ways, but only 2% – 8% of the world’s population have declared themselves to be atheists.
Then, as we continue reading into today’s gospel, it is interesting to read how Jesus compares his own death to a grain of wheat. If a grain of wheat doesn’t die, it remains just a grain of wheat. But, when it dies, it produces much more fruit. Jesus compared himself to a grain of wheat, and now we eat this wheat, his body, at every Mass. It’s like Jesus knew even then that he would become the Bread of Life for us, and not just for us, but for literally millions of people throughout the ages.
The next verse in the gospel can be of such comfort to people, who do not just ooze joy and happiness every moment of their lives:
“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.”
All joking aside, the pope talks about the joy of the gospel, but many people do not lead happy lives, and this is due to no fault of their own. Their unhappiness is very evident in the conflicts, wars, poverty, terrible illnesses, grave sins, and crime that exists in our world right now. Yes, the saints were happy even in concentration camps, but most of us are not saints. We should not feel guilty if we do not spread joy to everyone at all times and through all the circumstances in our lives. This verse in scripture can be a lot of comfort to us when we are not feeling happy, for a justifiable reason.
Sometimes when you do the right thing though, you will suffer for it. Following your conscience and doing the right thing often comes at a price. It did for Jesus too. The price that we pay might that mean other people have hard feelings toward us, because we spoke up about something that was wrong, for an example. Jesus had no qualms about speaking up for what was right and what was wrong. He followed his heart. The law of love was written deeply in his most beautiful, pure heart. Jesus loved at all times, both in his gentleness and his meekness, his compassion, and even in his misery and suffering, or through his angry words – he loved. Even his anger was because he loved. Love motivated everything Jesus did, even if no one understood it at the time.
And Jesus alluded to the fact in today’s gospel, the extent that people would go to mistreat him, because they misunderstood his motives. We should remember this the next time people misunderstand us, question our motives, or mistreat us when we follow our conscience, the law of love as well. Love is not always logical, but it is always the right thing to do.
The gospel reading today with these words that Jesus spoke:
“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 … when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”
And Jesus did draw everyone to himself, through the Eucharist and through the Cross.
This is a good thought for the rest of the week, to draw near to Jesus in the Eucharist and in the Cross. Maybe we could attend an extra Mass this week, or pray for an hour before the tabernacle or at an Adoration chapel. And notice the crosses, where ever we happen to be. Not just take them for granted, but to consciously pay attention them wherever we happen to find them. Maybe pause for a moment before the crucifixes in our own home, or put a crucifix near our favorite chair or place that we like to pray.
May Jesus draw us to him, as we go about our daily life.
