March 21, 2021: 5th Sunday of Lent B

 March 21, 2021: 5th Sunday of Lent B

Have you ever been asked by a child to explain the meaning of the cross or the crucifix? After the Stations of the Cross this past Friday, a grandmother approached to tell me that her four year old granddaughter asked her during our Stations of the Cross, “Does it hurt Jesus to carry the cross? Why are people hurting him? Is he dying?” Sometimes the innocence of a child helps us open the eyes of our hearts to behold the mystery hidden in the Passion of Our Lord. Wouldn’t it be unfortunate for us if the sacrifice on the altar, which is the focal point of the action of the Holy Mass, becomes as familiar to us as the pews and chairs in the church? Wouldn’t it be sad if we no longer have the wonder and gratitude for what Jesus has done for us through his Passion and death on the Cross?

The Cross demands a personal response from each of us. Our Lord said, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.The Father will honor whoever serves me.” Just as the grain of wheat has to die in order to bear fruit, there is a sense in which we must die if we are to live fully and fruitfully. We have to die to self in order to realize our full potential as disciples of Jesus. But how do we die to self in imitation of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross?

Recently at the men’s conference held here at St. George, a deacon spoke about men needing to imitate the virtues of St. Joseph in order to ensure stability and harmony in the family. Just as St. Joseph, we need to make sacrifices to devote time to prayer. Otherwise, our jobs can easily become our idol and cause division in the family. THe deacon said, “Do you think your job is so important? What do you think will happen if you die right at this moment? Your employer will mourn you for three days and then hire somebody to take your place. But what about your family? Where somebody can’t take your place is in your home with your family. You can never get back the time with your wife and your family.”

Dying to self within our family is also important in building a vibrant loving community. When we die to self we are role models to others in our community and we know that we are responsible for caring for those who are forgotten, neglected, and marginalized. Is our community attached to any values that hinder the Kingdom of God? Does our community make concerted effort to satiate the hunger and thirst of Jesus in the poor? Are we helping to bring about a systemic change that will make education, housing, and healthcare available and affordable?

As we approach the Holy Week next Sunday it’s not too late for us to forge a deep interior relationship with God through prayer, self-denial, and love-in-action for our neighbors. To embrace and carry the cross means to realize that the short-time we have here on earth is a time of metanoia or transformation from a worldly person to a disciple of Christ. Our Lord promised that those who serve him will be honored by God and those who obey him will enjoy eternal life. What “grain of wheat” in our life needs to fall and die so that we can bear fruit for God?