25 March 2012, Satya Nilayam
Jer 31:31-34; Heb 5:7-9; Jn 12:20-33
A. INTRODUCTION
We are just one week away from Holy Week and our celebration of God's love for us in his passion, death and resurrection. Today we look at the meaning of what Jesus did for us.
Jeremiah 31:31-34 — A promise of a new covenant, a 'new deal' between God and all people, built on love and forgiveness.
Hebrews 5:7-9 — Jesus is the perfect model for us to imitate, because he shows us what obedience is all about.
John 12:20-30 — Jesus explains that he does God's will always, even by dying. But in his death, his glory is seen.
B. HOMILY: Keeping by Loosing
1. The Greeks and Jesus
The Greek philosopher Socrates is regarded as one of the wisest men of all time. This man who lived between 470 and 399 BC devoted his life to exposing ignorance, hypocrisy and conceit among his fellow Athenians and calling them to a radical re-examination of life.
He challenged popular opinions regarding religion and politics as he sought to bring people to a better understanding of virtue, justice, piety and right conduct. He attracted many followers, especially among the youth. But those in power arrested him, tried him and sentenced him to death. He was given a choice to run away into exile, but he chose to face death.
Subsequent generations of Greeks came to regard Socrates as a martyr for truth. They resolved never again to persecute anyone on account of their beliefs.
By the time of Jesus the Greeks had become among the most broad-minded people in the world. Various religious and philosophical traditions flourished among them.
We see in today's gospel that among the huge crowds that had come to Jerusalem for the Passover feast were some Greeks.
But why did they wish to see Jesus? What did they have to do with Jesus? And why is Jesus talking about "grain of wheat" parable when they wish to see him?
It did not take these Greeks long to see that all was not well in Jerusalem. It is more probable that they came to alert Jesus to the seriousness of the danger surrounding him and to suggest to him to flee with them to Greece, the land of freedom. The response that Jesus gives to their request shows that it has to do with his impending death and that he has chosen to stay and face it rather than seek a way to escape it.
2. Martin Luther King: Let go
Martin Luther King once wrote about a time when he knelt down in prayer at the kitchen table in his home in Alabama. A hail of stones had just come through the window because of his advocacy of civil rights for black people. His wife and children were in danger. He had already become a qualified academic by then, and a promising career lay ahead. In prayer he found himself asking, "Do I really need this additional worry and danger?" It was in that moment that he decided to put the will of God and the welfare of his own Negro people before his own security and that of his family. He chose to let go of an easier path in order to serve God by standing with those who were most oppressed. In a sense, he chose to die so that others might have life. His fate is a striking example of the image that Jesus uses in the gospel reading, the grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies, and in dying yields a rich harvest.
3. Jesus' Struggle to let go
Are we afraid to let everything go? Is Jesus asking too much? Let us have no doubt, Jesus himself was afraid, deeply afraid. "Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say: 'Father, save me from this hour?'" Should I run away to Greece?
The Letter to the Hebrews (Second Reading) puts it graphically: "During his life on earth, Christ offered up prayer and supplication, aloud and in silent tears, to the One who had the power to save him from death…" Letting go did not come any more easily to Jesus than it does to us. But, after his prayer, when he sweat blood in fear and trembling, he was able to say, YES. And this YES was confirmed by the Father. Jesus let go of everything, including his own life, in order to bring life to himself and many others.
4. Clinging to life is losing it
"Anyone who clings to his life, will lose it; the one who is willing to let go will find a much richer and enriching life."
Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American businessman, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, and director. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world. Howard Hughes, the billionaire, died a fear-filled, psychologically ill, lonely recluse death because he did not share his wealth with others, he did not let go things – but he let go people from his life! He died of an obsessive compulsive disorder.
5. Live by Letting go
Most of us are afraid to die. Because of this fear of death, we forget to live our lives. The one who is not afraid of death, lives his/her life fully, however short it may be in terms of years! And like Bp. Oscar Romero, Rev. Martin Luther King, Fr. A.T. Thomas or Sr. Rani Maria – continue to live even after death!
Those who cling to their life lose it in themselves, but those who let go their life for the sake of others, those who live for others, double their life because not only they live in themselves but begin to live in the life of other also.
May God give us the grace to die to ourselves to live for others!
Vally Mendonca, S.J.
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