“Unless the Grain of Wheat
Falls
into the Ground…”
March 25, 2012, 5th Sunday of Lent
Jeremiah 31:31-34 Hebrews 5:7-9 John 12:20-33
Second reading
Christ, in the days when He was a man on earth, pleaded with God,
praying with tears and agony of soul to the One who could save Him from death.
His prayers were heard because of His willingness to obey God at all
times. And even though Jesus was God’s
Son, He had to learn from experience what it was like to obey, when obeying meant
suffering. It was after He had proved Himself perfect
in this experience that Jesus became the Giver of eternal salvation to all
those who obey Him
The Word
of the Lord
Thanks be to God
A reading
from the holy Gospel according to John
Glory
to you, Lord.
Among
those who had come up to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover were some Greeks.[1] They approached Philip (who
came from Bethsaida in Galilee) with this request, “Sir, we would like to see
Jesus.” Philip told Andrew, and the both of them went to Jesus who said to
them:
The hour
has come for the Son of Man to return to His glory in heaven. I tell you truly that
unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a
single grain of wheat. But if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.[2]
He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will save
it for eternal life.[3]
If anyone serves me, he
must follow Me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if anyone
serves me, the Father will honor him. Now my soul is deeply troubled, and what
shall I say? “Father, save me from what lies ahead?” But that is the very
reason why I came! Father, bring glory and honor to your name.
Then a voice from heaven said, "I
have glorified it and will glorify it again." The crowd there heard it and
said it was thunder; but others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."
Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come for My sake but for
yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world
will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw
everyone to myself." He said this indicating the
kind of death He would die.
The
Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord
Jesus Christ.
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Introduction
Spring & Annunciation
Last
Tuesday, March 20, spring arrived, and we who still have the hearts and hands
of farmers turn our thoughts to spring planting and `victory gardens’
(especially in these hard economic times). With the arrival of spring, Jesus’
parable of the grains of wheat falling into the ground, dying and rising up into
flowing fields of wheat is timely.
Today,
March 25, is the feast of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel announced to
Mary that she would conceive Jesus. Nine months later, December 25, Mary gave
birth to Jesus. Nine months from today is Christmas! If today weren’t the 5th
Sunday of Lent but a weekday, we would be celebrating the feast of the Annunciation
at Mass.
A parable & a paradox
Today’s gospel is a
parable. Jesus speaks about the grain of wheat which must fall into the ground
and die, in order to rise up into flowing fields of wheat. He is alluding to his
own death and resurrection. Evangelist John explicitly states that "Jesus
said this indicating the kind of death He would die." (Jn. 12:33)
Today’s gospel is
also a paradox: “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in
this world will save it for eternal life.”A paradox catches our ears, and makes
us wonder what hidden meaning lies behind the words.
Fr. Damien – a
grain of wheat
Father Damien de Veuster (1840-1889) was a Belgian and a
member of the missionary order of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He was sent to the Hawaiian
Islands to minister to lepers who were quarantined on the island of Molokai.
The Bishop assigned him to pastor a secluded settlement of 816 lepers. Damien's
first course of action was to build a church and establish the Parish of Saint Philomena,
patroness of `hopeless’ cases. He was more than priest: he dressed ulcers, helped
construct shelters, built coffins and dug graves. Six months after his arrival on
Molokai, he wrote his brother, Pamphile, in Europe: “I make myself a leper with
the lepers to gain all to Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor.9:22) He literally made himself a leper. One day
at Mass, he surprised his congregation with these words: "We lepers!" Fr. Damien had
contracted their disease, died of leprosy on April 15, 1889, at the age of 49. Pope John
Paul II beatified him on June 4, 1995, and Pope Benedict XVI
canonized him on Sunday October 11,
2009.
Fr. Damien was like the grain of
wheat which falls into the ground and dies, and yields a rich
harvest. He `hated’ his
life in this world, even to the point of leprosy. But at the end of the day he
saved his life for eternal life.
Fr. Marek – a grain of wheat
A Catholic for over 70 years responded to the whole
situation with these words:
What is the Church
coming to? Laypeople in charge of finances! A blessing on the ordination of
women! Gay and divorced people being accepted! It’s so like something Jesus would
do! As I read the article [in the NCR], I felt as though I was reading the
Gospel in modern times: the Pharisees upholding Law; Jesus and his followers
living love. It made me wonder how the hierarchy would rule if this were Jesus
instead of Fr. Bozek. Would He be excommunicated for saving the prostitute from
certain death, for eating with tax collectors, for speaking with the woman at
the well, for giving the message of His resurrection to a woman first? Jesus
reached out to those who were marginalized as well as to the rich, and He loved
them. What is Fr. Bozek doing that Jesus would condemn? If the facts have been
reported accurately, then perhaps Jesus is standing beside Fr. Bozek, encouraging
him to reach out and embrace all those in his care with love. (National Catholic
Reporter, Feb. 22, 2008)
Fr. Marek is willing to become like
the grain of wheat which falls into the ground and dies, in order to yield a
rich harvest. He `hates’ his life in this world, as he exposes
himself to suspension, excommunication and laicization. But at the end of the
day he saves his life for eternal life.
Fr. Mychal – a grain of wheat
Franciscan
Father Mychal Judge (May 11, 1933 – Sept.11,
2001) had
a citywide reputation for being a compassionate champion of New York City’s
needy and forgotten. He touched many in powerful and miraculous ways. He was as comfortable in the White House as he was in the
slums of New York. All people were equal in Mychal’s eyes. He befriended and
respected those of different faiths. He befriended those who were no longer
practicing any religion. He did not judge them; he honored and treasured them
for their own innate goodness. He was also a humble man who wrestled
with his own private demons. He struggled
with alcoholism, and was an outspoken AA advocate. Through his own
vulnerability, imperfection and fragile humanity, he was able to reach people
in their pain, shame and fragility.Father Mychal was also a beloved chaplain of the New York City Fire Department. On the horrific day of September 11, 2001 (when two 747s smashed into the Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan, bringing down 2,000,000,000 tons of mortar and bricks, and 3000 innocent human beings) Father Mychal rushed to Ground Zero. There he became not only 9/11's first recorded victim but also its first recorded hero: he had taken off his helmet to give the last rites to a dying fireman when suddenly debris came crashing down on him, and killed him. His body was carried off to a nearby church, where it was laid on an altar. He soon came to be called 'The Saint of 9/11.' Cardinal Edward Egan presided at Mychal's funeral on September 15, 2001, in St. Francis of Assisi Church in NYC. The funeral was attended by former President Bill Clinton, Hillaary Clinton and daughter Chelsea.
When later a memorial was held for him, an endless flow of priests, nuns, lawyers, cops, firefighters, homeless people, rock-and-rollers, recovering alcoholics, local politicians and middle age couples from the suburbs streamed into Good Shepherd Chapel on Ninth Ave., an Anglican church, to do a memorial for a Roman Catholic priest. An editorial on Fr Mychal read,"If the account of his death was dolled up with a bit of legend it was because countless people out there wanted him to die both gorgeously and aptly in a manner that expressed the depth of his faith."
Fr. Mychal was like the grain of
wheat which falls into the ground and dies, and yields a rich
harvest. He `hated’ his
life in this world, as he spent himself compassionately championing the needy
and forgotten of New York City. He `hated’ his
life in this world, especially as he rushed to Ground Zero where he became
9/11’s first recorded victim and hero. But at the end of the day he saved his life for eternal life.
Conclusion
Saving our life for eternal life
Yearly
we buy packets of seed. Some we manage to get planted. Others we tuck safely
away somewhere. The seeds tucked safely away
never fall into the ground and die, and never therefore rise up into the pretty
flowers or tasty vegetables pictured on the packet. Jesus’ parable says that
the only way for us to live life is to fall into the ground like a grain of
wheat and die! It says that if we’re always `playing it safe’ and protecting
ourselves, we remain no more than a grain of wheat. But if we refuse to `play
it safe,’ as Fathers Damien, Marek and Mychal refused to `play it safe,’ we
save our life for eternal life.
[1] Greeks – not in a
nationalistic sense but as Gentile proselytes to Judaism.
[2] GOD'S WORD translation: “I can guarantee this truth: A single grain of wheat
doesn't produce anything unless it is planted in the ground and dies. If it
dies, it will produce a lot of grain.”
[3] GOD'S WORD translation: “Those
who love their lives will destroy them, and those who hate their lives in this
world will guard them for everlasting life.”
