Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent by Rev. Brillis
Maryland.
Below is the full text of the homily delivered by Rev. Brillis Mathew for the Fifth Sunday of Lent (Passion Sunday) at St. Bernadette Catholic Church, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Readings of the Day:
First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34 | Responsorial Psalm: 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15 | Second Reading: Hebrews 5:7-9 | Gospel: John 12:20-33
The fifth Sunday of Lent is called Passion Sunday because it prepares us for the Passion of Jesus during the last weeks of Lent. We can see that in today’s readings. I personally encourage you to go through the readings again and again. Meditate, and try to listen to his voice. What is the Lord speaking to me? In a homily, with a short time, I will not be able to preach about everything.
The old covenant was, in one word, the covenant of judgment, but the new covenant is the covenant of forgiveness and mercy.
In the first reading, we heard from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, how the Spirit of God spoke through Jeremiah about the new covenant. The prophet Jeremiah is presenting a new covenant, replacing the old covenant, indicating the coming of Jesus and what Jesus did. The old covenant was, in one word, the covenant of judgment, but the new covenant is the covenant of forgiveness and mercy. “I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts.” As St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:3, the tablets of our hearts. Heart-centered.
The secret of seeing God is having a pure, clean heart. For that, we have to constantly pray and cooperate with the grace of God.
Today’s responsorial Psalm invites us to pray constantly and to work constantly. “Create a clean heart in me, O God.” Only with a clean heart will we be able to see the face of God. We will come to that point from today’s Gospel. If the window is dirty, we won’t be able to see outside, and the light won’t come inside. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 5:8, “blessed are the pure in heart, they shall see God.” The secret of seeing God is having a pure, clean heart. For that, we have to constantly pray and cooperate with the grace of God.
In the second reading, from the letter to the Hebrews, we see how Jesus implemented this new covenant, through his sufferings, obedience, and death. We are also called to do the same. We all have sufferings. None of us is sitting here completely free of suffering or crosses to carry. Jesus said, take up your cross daily and follow me. We have our own crosses. With that, we enter into the Kingdom of God, because life is not always paved with beautiful flowers. Rather, we have difficulties and challenges. If you haven’t struggled or suffered, that means you haven’t lived. It’s a part and parcel of our life.
Today’s Gospel is beautiful. There is so much in it, but I would like to present three points, which perhaps you can remember. You can add more points, but at least these three points will be helpful. First, some Greeks came and said, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” They were pagans, but they had a desire to see Jesus. That seeing is not simply seeing with our eyes. The Gospel of John presents “seeing” with a much deeper meaning; seeing means encountering, having faith, and experiencing salvation. They said we want to see Jesus. Do we have that wish? I want to see Jesus. I am sure. We are all gathered here this morning around the altar, sometimes like Greeks because our faith can be far away from reality. We are not worthy. That is why at every Mass, we repeat those beautiful words of the centurion, Lord, I am not worthy to receive you in my house, but if you say a word, my heart will be cleansed, my soul will be worthy to receive you. This is the first point, Lord, I want to see you, I want to see your face. Like St. Therese of the Child Jesus said, your face is my homeland. The Psalmist says in Psalm 27:8, “Of you my heart has said, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I seek.” Please don’t hide your face from me. Psalm 88:14 says, why Lord do you turn your face away from me? We want to see Jesus.
Philip went and told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus, they wanted to see you. But the answer from Jesus was totally different. Here, maybe Jesus could have said, they want to see me? I’m happy, I’m ready to come. But Jesus said, “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” That’s why this is Passion Sunday. Why did Jesus say this? Because Jesus knew that his mission was becoming more and more fulfilled. In John 10:16, I came not only for the people of Israel, but I also want to gather other sheep too. Now, here, Gentiles were earnestly seeking to see the face of God. See. That means to have faith. So, Jesus understood, my hour has come, the time has come.
Jesus wants all of us to die to ourselves, our evil inclinations, and our attachments toward this world.
The second point is that Jesus immediately began speaking about his death. He used the analogy about the grain of wheat, “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies.” If we go through the Bible, we come to know that Jesus used this grain in many places – Mark 4, Luke 13, and St. Paul used it in 1 Corinthians 15, connected with the resurrection. Jesus is saying unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. And Jesus said whoever loves his life loses it. This is not only applicable to Jesus but is what Jesus is speaking to you and me. Jesus wants all of us to die to ourselves, our evil inclinations, and our attachments toward this world. If we do that, we will be able to live with Christ as St. Paul said in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and yet I am alive; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me.”
The last point is that Jesus said, whoever serves me must follow me. Follow me. This is a great invitation for you and me every day. Jesus said take up your cross daily and follow me. Jesus never said to take up your cross weekly, monthly, or yearly and follow me. But daily. During this time of Passion week, these last two weeks of Lent, God is giving us an opportunity to once again renew our spiritual lives by having a deep desire to see him more clearly, to die to ourselves, and to follow him unconditionally. For that grace, during this Mass, we can pray.