Jer 31:31-34; Ps 51; Heb 5:7-9; Jn 12:20-33
Braking open
My dear friends, today is the 5th Sunday in this season of Lent. Next Sunday will be Palm Sunday and the beginning of the Holy Week. We are coming to the peak of our Lenten observance. We have come a long way in our journey accompanying Jesus on his way to the cross. We are yearning to calvary with him where all will be consummated and even more yearning to celebrate the resurrection.
In our lives, we make resolutions and recommendations to tackle issues and combat the challenges facing us. However, we all know that the biggest challenge of all comes at the time of implementation of those resolutions and recommendations. The challenge is we are not willing to make the sacrifices needed to realize them. Do you have in mind some resolutions you made some time back that you have not yet even started implementing such as reducing weight, attending small Christian community prayer, fasting, helping the needy, attending mass early, stopping drinking, etc?
God is different from man. He always delivers his promises at the right time no matter what it takes. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God promised the people of Israel to establish a new covenant with them after they had nullified the first covenant with their disobedience. However, this new covenant will be different from the first. The first covenant was a collective one where the prosperity of the individual depended on the collective obedience of the community. Here innocent people especially the poor suffered because of the bad choices made by the rich and powerful. In the new covenant, every individual would know God and his commandments at heart and as such account for his or her own actions. This covenant was realized in Christ Jesus and in our baptism, we have assumed it.
When we were baptized, our parents or we made baptismal promises. These are the promises that will determine our present and ultimate salvation. Though we worship as a community, the community serves as a moral watchdog that keeps us on our toes. If we promise to live our baptismal promises only to disregard them later, we will account for it individually when the HOUR comes.
Making promises is simple but living them is a challenging task. When we are happy, we promise many things, but fulfilling them becomes difficult later. When we encounter challenges, we promise many things to get support, but later fulfilling those promises becomes a challenge. In the second reading, we hear that it was difficult for Jesus also when he was faced with imminent suffering and death. Jesus prayed to the Father to make that cup of suffering pass him, but he was ready to do the will of his Father for which he had come. Having trouble implementing the promises we make is something normal, but Jesus teaches us not to give up but to hope in the grace of God.
e may be very brave when we are making a choice to carry out a certain difficult task but when the HOUR comes, all the courage seems to escape through the thin air. Jesus is talking about “His Hour” with a lot of passion. He knows that though the hour would be difficult, it was the only way to attain the glory that was promised him. He knew that like the grain he had to fall to the ground, be buried, and break in the middle so that it may germinate and bear fruits. We all love our lives, and we would like to preserve them as much as we can, however, Jesus teaches us that there is a far greater mission than preserving our life on earth. The kingdom of God comes from the ultimate sacrifice of our lives.
Jesus is promising us that if we imitate and follow him, where he is we too will be there one day. Finally, Jesus makes a concluding prayer to his Father to glorify him. From that moment, Jesus received amazing courage to face the cross. God revealed himself to him and assured him of the glory at the end of his mission. The mission was to cast down the prince darkness. This one was not going down without a fight. We too need this kind of assurance to carry out our mandate despite the challenges we face. The prince of darkness is present and active in all our ministries every moment. He comes disguised in many faces. Our fight must be entrusted to God who gives us the strength and courage to fight on to the end.
God has created each one with certain potential in us. to release this potential, we need to accept to break open and let it flourish. However, many die without releasing their potential because they are afraid of breaking open. Many live enclosed lives because they feel that if they break open, they may lose their security and become vulnerable. Jesus was afraid to break open, but he got courage through prayer to the Father who strengthened him. Too many people quit in life because they do not have anyone to encourage or strengthen them to break open. Others end up making the wrong decision because they have no one to accompany them or are misled by those who do not even care about their potential. Are you afraid to break open because you do not trust anyone?
Dear friends, I invite us today to scrutinize our lives and see first whether we do what we promise especially when there are challenges involved. Second, whether we are ready and willing to be broken to release the potential in us. Nothing good comes without challenges and sacrifices.
Have a blessed Sunday.
Fr. Lawrence Muthee, SVD
SVD JAMBO KENTAN 