20240317 SEEING GOD IN JESUS IN HIS PASSION AND RESURRECTION
17 March 2024, Sunday, 5th Week of Lent
First reading |
Jeremiah 31:31-34 © |
I will write my Law in their hearts
See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel (and the House of Judah), but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant of mine, so I had to show them who was master. It is the Lord who speaks. No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to know the Lord!’ No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest – it is the Lord who speaks – since I will forgive their iniquity and never call their sin to mind.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 50(51):3-4,12-15 © |
A pure heart create for me, O God.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
A pure heart create for me, O God.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
A pure heart create for me, O God.
Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.
A pure heart create for me, O God.
Second reading | Hebrews 5:7-9 © |
He learned to obey and he became the source of eternal salvation
During his life on earth, Christ offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn12:26 |
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Whoever serves me must follow me, says the Lord;
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Gospel | John 12:20-33 © |
If a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it yields a rich harvest
Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. These approached Philip, who came from Bethsaida in Galilee, and put this request to him, ‘Sir, we should like to see Jesus.’ Philip went to tell Andrew, and Andrew and Philip together went to tell Jesus. Jesus replied to them:
‘Now the hour has come
for the Son of Man to be glorified.
I tell you, most solemnly,
unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies,
it remains only a single grain;
but if it dies,
it yields a rich harvest.
Anyone who loves his life loses it;
anyone who hates his life in this world
will keep it for the eternal life.
If a man serves me, he must follow me,
wherever I am, my servant will be there too.
If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.
Now my soul is troubled.
What shall I say:
Father, save me from this hour?
But it was for this very reason that I have come to this hour.
Father, glorify your name!’
A voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ People standing by, who heard this, said it was a clap of thunder; others said, ‘It was an angel speaking to him.’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not for my sake that this voice came, but for yours.
‘Now sentence is being passed on this world;
now the prince of this world is to be overthrown.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I shall draw all men to myself.’
By these words he indicated the kind of death he would die.
SEEING GOD IN JESUS IN HIS PASSION AND RESURRECTION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 31:31-34; PS 51:3-4,12-15; HEB 5:7-9; JN 12:20-33]
“We want to see Jesus.” This is the cry of nominal Catholics, Christians and non-believers. All are looking for truth, life and everlasting love and happiness. Anyone who is seeking for fullness of life is seeking to see Jesus.
Today, God is absent in the lives of many people, even believers. This is the result of secularism and materialism. God is not real and many cannot feel Him, much less see Him. God has been taken out of public life. Because God is not felt or experienced, man needs to assume full control of his own life. He thinks science and technology can solve all the problems of humanity. Yet, he has never learnt his lessons. The world cannot solve the spiritual and moral needs of humanity. Although we have made great strides in technology, yet, the world is not any happier or united. On the contrary, increased power only threatens the unity and peace of humanity, as people use power for their own interests and not for others. Happiness lies in the heart.
God is absent also because of our sins and the consequences of our sins. We cannot feel or see God because of our brokenness and pain from the consequence of our sins. We live in double obscurity of sin and ignorance. When we are hurt, wounded, disappointed and disillusioned, how can we see God at work in our lives? Precisely, many have given up on God because of the circumstances they are in. Those who are sick, abandoned, unloved and in financial difficulties, find it hard to believe in a loving God. Indeed, many young people who come from dysfunctional families or have parents who do not care for them wonder whether a loving God exists. If God does not care about their lives, why should they care whether He exists?
The Good News is that the Lord is faithful to His side of the Covenant. He has not given up hope on us. Through Jeremiah, the Lord said, “See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant of mine, so I had to show them who was master.”
God promised deliverance and He will help us to know Him directly. He said, “Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people.” How can the Law of God be written in our hearts? How can we know the Lord personally without others telling us? For many of us, our knowledge of Christ is not personal but at most doctrinal. We have no personal knowledge of the Lord or any personal relationship, other than what we picked up from catechism classes or read in some books. We cannot speak about Him with conviction. We do not speak about God like His sons and daughters, but more like grandchildren. Christ remains distant, like a historical figure, but not personally risen in our lives.
So what can bring about a radical change in our relationship with the Lord? It can happen only when we receive the Holy Spirit who leads us to Jesus, and who in turn reveals to us the love of the Father. Once we receive the Holy Spirit, God becomes real in our lives. We now want to do the will of God and walk in His ways. The laws are no longer external to us or a burden, but we see them as the wisdom of God providing us with guidance on how to live a righteous and holy life, a life of peace, love, joy and grace. We can then testify that we now know the Lord personally and that all power belongs to Him and that He is love. How does this happen?
Firstly, it happens through acknowledgement of our sins and our misery, like the Israelites in exile. We need to confess our sins. So long as we are not conscious of our sins and our mistakes, the Lord cannot show us the way. Humble acknowledgement that we do not have the answers and that we are not perfect is the first step to recovering the presence of God in our lives.
Secondly, contemplation on the passion of Christ. He is the leader of our salvation. When we consider the love of God in Christ, we cannot but be moved at His mercy and compassion. The truth is that, like Jesus, we have to learn obedience through suffering. Suffering can make us bitter or better. The Lord permits us to suffer through the consequences of our sins and the sins of others so that we can come to know His will for us and align ourselves with His divine plan. When we contemplate how He was tempted and suffered for us, we too find strength and consolation in our temptations as we struggle to do the will of God as Christ did. Most of all, His obedience unto death for us teaches us to do the same. He showed us that doing God’s will is not only possible but the only way to find life. Reflection on Christ and on our sufferings leads us to obedience and helps us see the wisdom and truth of God through our mistakes.
Finally, contemplation on His resurrection. As a consequence of Jesus’ surrender, the Father raised Him from the dead and glorified Him. Indeed, in the final analysis, reflection on His resurrection gives us hope that truth and love will prevail at the end. Crucifixion without resurrection is tragic, but resurrection without crucifixion has no power. So when we reflect on Christ’s resurrection, we are filled with hope that no matter what happens, love and life will triumph in the end, not hatred or death. That is why the foundation of Christian love is the crucified Christ, and that of Christian hope is the resurrection of Christ. Consequently, we can understand and appreciate why disorder in the world and the division within man because of pride, rebellion and inordinate self-love can only be overcome, purified and perfected by the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord.
Having received the Lord’s favours, we too must now do the same. We share in Jesus’ mission to give glory to the Father. We too must show the way for others who are seeking true happiness and freedom in life. We are called to be the messengers of the Good News. What we have received freely, we must now give freely.
How do we lead others back to God if not by glorifying His name? How do we glorify the Father? The first way is by dying with Jesus to our sins, to self and by loving others unto death. Giving up our lives for the service of others is the way to glorify the Father. People might not believe in our God but everyone desires love and compassion. So by witnessing to the world our love and compassion, they will come to know the love of God. This requires that we die to ourselves more and more so that others can live. We must put the interests of others before our own. We must come to believe that the only way to live fully is to live for others. When we forget ourselves and reach out to others in love, we find our true self.
Like Jesus, we will draw others to Christ when we also die with Jesus in love and service. So, be a witness in love and charity at home, in the office, and in the parish. Be a witness to His passion and resurrection in your life by living a life of humble service and giving hope and confidence to those who are lacking direction in life.
Finally, do it with Jesus in earnest prayer. Contemplating on Christ’s faith in God, we too learn not to rely on ourselves but on God alone. Only God has the power to give us the grace to overcome the trials of life. This grace is always given through fervent prayer and intercession, as in the case of Jesus who spent hours in the Garden of Gethsemane before His passion.
When we cooperate with His grace, we share in His glory, the fullness of life and joy. Jesus promised us, “If a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.” Indeed, when we serve the Lord and die to ourselves, we will also be glorified with Him and share in the fullness of life. Ut Vivant! That they may live, requires us to die. But the joy of helping others live and be happy is greater than just attending to our own interests and happiness. We must be like Jesus, ready to give up our lives for God and for the service of others. If we love the world then the world will possess us and we live in constant insecurity. So let us die with Jesus for the salvation of the world.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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