Telling Others what we See: The Fifth Sunday of Lent, 2024

                                                   Telling Others what we See:

The Fifth Sunday of Lent, 2024 

March 17, 2024

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Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51; Hebrews 5:7-9; John 12:20-33

 

The Fourth Gospel inaugurates the moment that the Hour of Jesus has finally arrived. It is the moment when the Greeks come to Jerusalem to see Jesus, who they know to be the Beloved One of God. Up until this moment, all the passages said, “The Hour has not yet come.” The significance of the Greeks is to acknowledge that the whole world has come to worship the Jewish God. The faith of the Israelites extends beyond the Jews.

 

The moment is met by thunder from heaven acknowledging the time of the Passion has come. Jesus, realizing the moment has arrived, explains that he will have to undergo suffering that he does not welcome, but that he has no choice. He was destined to accept this Cross from the beginning of his ministry. He knows that his obedience would glory God because God’s plan was larger than the people could understand.

 

The Greeks say, “We would like to see Jesus.” It reminds me of the statement people make within spiritual conversations. They want to know Jesus better. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever had anyone come into spiritual direction and say, “I’m satisfied with my prayer life. I speak well with Jesus.” Truthfully, I don’t know anyone who is ever satisfied with prayer. There is always room for improvement. It raises the question, “What do we want to know?”

 

Lent is about improving one’s closeness to Jesus, and we do it through increased prayer, abstinence, and almsgiving. We try to pattern our life after Jesus so we can empathize with his self-offering. Perhaps, we ought to just trust that Jesus is near and that he is aware of our good efforts. He has already offered his sacrifice and won his victory on our behalf. Perhaps we cannot be like him in his trials and ordeals, but we can do something quite different.

 

We can tell our stories about the presence of Jesus in our lives. Perhaps our Lent, our mission, is to simply tell others what God has done for them. In Scripture, someone obviously had to tell the Greeks about Jesus, and they wanted to see him. Are we telling others about what Jesus has done for us? Sometimes, I think he keep matters too private and individualized, but that is not our faith. We see that the Apostles were impelled to tell their stories. That was how the faith was transmitted.

 

It requires a shift in thinking, W cannot be Jesus and we are not called to do what he did, but he does ask us to tell his story. As we approach Holy Week and Easter, what story do we have to tell. What has he does for us this Lent that we can share with others? Reflect upon his presence in your life. Will your story be the one that leads others to Christ?

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

Monday: (Daniel 13) Daniel’s sharp advocacy skills spare the life of Susannah who has been unjustly accused of immoral sexual relationships.

 

Tuesday: (Numbers 21) As the wandering Israelites passed through the desert near the Red Sea, many are bitten by seraph serpents, but Moses erected a bronze serpent that he lifted up for those bitten to gaze upon the image and be cured. 

 

Wednesday: (Isaiah 7) Annunciation: Ahaz is tempted by the Lord to ask for a sign but he will not. The Lord gives it anyways: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son named Emmanuel.

 

Thursday: (Genesis 17) The Lord said to Abraham: You are to become the father of a host of nations. You will become fertile; kings will stem from you.   

 

Friday: (Jeremiah 20) Terror on every side. Let us denounce him. The Lord is with me like a mighty champion.

 

Saturday: (Ezekiel 37) My dwelling shall be with my people. I will be their God and they shall be my people.   

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (John 8) A woman caught in adultery is brought to Jesus for a verdict, but he does not answer as he calls upon those who are without sin to cast the first stone. 

 

Tuesday: (John 8) Jesus tells the Pharisees that they will lift up the Son of Man and will then realized that I AM. 

 

Wednesday: (Luke 1) Gabriel was sent to Mary of Nazareth to inform her that she has been chosen by the Lord to bear a son who will be called holy, the Son of God.

 

Thursday: (John 8) Whoever keeps my words will never see death. Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.

 

Friday: (John 10) The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus, but he wanted to know for which of the works he was condemned. He went back across the Jordan and remained there.

 

Saturday: (John 11) Many came to believe in Jesus. Caiaphas asked, “do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people?”

 

Saints of the Week

 

March 17: Patrick, bishop (389-461), is the revered Apostle of Ireland and patron saint of many U.S. dioceses. He is credited for bringing the faith to all of Ireland. He was abducted and enslaved at age 16 by pirates and taken to Ireland where he worked as a cattle herded and shepherd in the mountains. He escaped after six years and eventually returned to his native Britain where he became a priest. Pope Celestine sent Patrick as a missionary to Ireland to evangelize them. Though he was under constant risk from hostile pagans, he converted many of them and developed a native clergy by the time of his death. 

 

March 19: Joseph, husband of Mary is honored today for his support of Mary in their marriage. He is portrayed as a righteous man who obeys the will of God. Therefore, his ancestry is upheld as a virtuous stock through which God’s promises come true. We seldom contemplate his marital relationship to Mary and his responsibility to love and raise Jesus as his son. He was a descendent of King David and a carpenter or builder by trade. In Matthew's dream sequence, Joseph was embarrassed by Mary's pregnancy before their marriage, but went through with the wedding because he was a righteous man. He considered dissolving their marriage because of Mosaic Law, but is told in a dream to take Mary as his wife and to raise Jesus as his own. He is honored as the earthly father of Jesus. 

 

March 23: Toribio of Mogrovejo, bishop (1538-1606) was a Spanish law professor in Salamanca who became the president of the Inquisition in Granada. As a layman, he was made the Archbishop of Lima, Peru and became quickly disturbed at the treatment of the native populations by the European conquerors. He condemned abuses and founded schools to educate the oppressed natives. He built hospitals and churches and opened the first seminary in Latin America.

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• March 17, 1964. The death of Joseph O’Callaghan. He was awarded the US Medal of Honor for heroism as chaplain on the USS Franklin, off Japan on March 19, 1945. 
• March 18, 1541. Two letters arrived from Lisbon from Francis Xavier. One was addressed to Ignatius, the other to Frs. LeJay and Laynez. They were written just before his departure to India. 
• March 19, 1836. By imperial decree, the Society was allowed to re-enter the Austrian dominions. 
• March 20, 1602. The first "Disputatio de Auxiliis" was held before Clement VIII. The disputants were Fr. Gregory de Valentia SJ and Fr. Diego Alvarez OP. 
• March 21, 1768. In Spain, at a special meeting of the Council of State in the presence of King Charles III, the Suppression of the Society was urged on the pretense that it was independent of the bishops, that it plotted against the State, and that it was lax in its teaching. 
• March 22, 1585: In Rome, Fr. General received the three Japanese ambassadors with great solemnity in the Society's Church of the Gesu. 
• March 23, 1772: At Rome, Cardinal Marefoschi held a visitation of the Irish College and accused the Jesuits of mismanagement. He removed them from directing that establishment.