Readings: Jeremiah 31: 31-34, Hebrews 5: 7-9, John 12: 20-33
An unexpected turn of events: Philip and Andrew go to Jesus to tell him there are some people from out of town that would like to meet him. His response – The hour has come for Jesus to be glorified. He indicates to the Apostles that to fulfill his mission, he must be like the grain of wheat that is fruitful only when it dies. And this will happen soon. What a shocking thing to hear from their beloved master! He goes on to challenge them – whoever loves their life loses it; those who want to have eternal life must hate their life in this world.
This surprising message begins the final path to Calvary, and to our salvation.
What does this message mean for us? I love my life; I’m grateful to God everyday for the gift of it. I certainly don’t hate my life in this world, yet I hope for eternal life. What am I to do?
I look to the lives of the saints for guidance. Some saints were martyrs, dying for their faith and many saints suffered physically and emotionally. I don’t want to go those routes if I don’t have to. But every saint made sacrifices for God, living beyond their own wants and comfort to respond to Jesus’ statement, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.”
Where is Jesus today? He is every person we encounter, everywhere we go, all the time. To follow and serve Jesus, and be where He is, we must treat every individual with an attitude of holiness and service, just as Jesus did. He was the role model for being present to the needs of the people he encountered. I’m not successful at it yet but my Lenten prayer is to improve even a little bit. Will you join your prayers to mine?