Today is the 5th Sunday of lent, next week being Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. We are moving with Jesus towards the passion narrative.
The Gospel reading today is from chapter 12 of John’s Gospel and it occurs after Jesus was anointed at Bethany and his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Jesus teaches his disciples about the way in which he will be glorified by God, and a voice from heaven is heard to affirm this. Jesus predicted his suffering, death and resurrection and was preparing his disciples to believe in the salvation which his death would accomplish.
As we journey towards Easter, the cross becomes more significant. Today Jesus is talking to us about his approaching death on the cross. It is his glorification, to us it presents something of a dilemma. An instrument of torture and execution becomes the very instrument of life.
What does the cross mean to you? During lent we have been specifically meditating on the “Stations of the Cross” . Our walk with the Lord sometimes involves discomfort and even suffering, especially this year because of the restrictions which the pandemic has caused. But our own ‘experiences of the cross’ can help us to grow spiritually. Jesus’ death on the cross created a new relationship for us, his self-giving and self-sacrifice shows us just how much God loves us. Jesus in his obedience to God reveals to us that the glory of the cross means dying to self. He uses the metaphor of the grain of wheat, to present the idea that his death would be beneficial. This analogy (comparison) of the wheat grain speaks to us too. We are called as Christians to conversion. Unless we die to ourselves or become less selfish and self-centred, we will remain alone and not have the reward of eternal life. We are called to have a change of heart during lent and in this way turn back to God and bear “much fruit”. It is Christ’s journey to death and resurrection that draws us towards Him. We are in a way the fruits of that journey and within us is His seed.
A voice from heaven affirms what Jesus says, almost as an answer to his prayer. Like the voice heard at Jesus’ baptism and Transfiguration, God approves the sacrifice which Jesus will make on behalf of us all through his death and resurrection. Jesus tells us that the voice was for our sakes so that we would believe.
The image of Jesus on the cross invites us to love God. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, God is offering himself in love and we are called to respond to this love. As Christians we follow Jesus to the cross where he shows us the way to the Father. In this way the cross is a universal invitation to follow Jesus and a universal sign of God’s love.
Let us pray that we too can show others God’s love even though his love leads to the cross. Jesus’ death and resurrection brought salvation to the whole world.
Today’s Gospel is about God’s great love for us. We will also learn why Jesus became man like us.
Today we are going to hear Jesus talking about himself, about what was going to happen to him and the reason why he came to earth. The people who were following Jesus didn’t understand why Jesus had come to earth. They thought that he had come to set up an earthly kingdom as other kings did. Yet Jesus’ kingdom finds its completion in heaven. He came to die for our sins so that we could join him in his heavenly kingdom.
- That Jesus died willingly on the cross to pay the price of our sins
- There is nothing stronger than the love of Jesus
- A strong magnet
- 3 or 4 small metal objects like, paper clips, safety pins, staples, the lid of a jar
Right at the end of today’s gospel Jesus says to the people “and when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”
What do you think Jesus meant by saying this?
Well, Jesus was teaching the people and telling them how he was going to die. He knew that the day of his crucifixion and his return to heaven was near. He spoke to his followers, “I am very troubled,” he said. “What should I do? Should I pray to the Father and ask him to save me? No, this is the very reason that I came to earth, and when I am lifted up, I will draw everyone to me.”
Let us look at the magnet and see what it can do. If you hold it close to the metal objects what do you think will happen? Try it and see. The objects are drawn to the magnet which has an invisible force. The magnet has a great pull and it draws the metal objects towards it.
This drawing force of the magnet is strong but it is nothing compared to the drawing power of Jesus. He loves us so much that he willingly died on the cross to pay the price for our sin. When we see his great love for us we are drawn towards him, we move closer to him and we trust in him as children of God.
Even when there are times when we move away from Jesus by doing something that is not pleasing to him. Does Jesus stop loving us? No. His love for us is so strong that he draws us back towards himself especially in the sacrament of reconciliation. (see link https://bekids.mt/who-can-forgive-sins/).
To emphasise Jesus’ love for us you can listen to, “Yes Jesus Loves Me”.
In today’s Gospel reading Jesus says “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Jesus uses the image of a grain of wheat to talk about what is going to happen to him. He is talking again about his own death and resurrection, and about his love which is like a seed planted in our hearts.
- Jesus must die on the cross so that he can rise again and so people will believe he truly is the Son of God
- That Jesus’ love is very strong and that when it is inside us we must nourish it so that it grows
- Seeds
- Potting soil
- Small plant pot or yoghurt pot
So much of Jesus’ teaching is based on nature. Remember the parable of the sower going out to sow his seed and the parable of the mustard seed? Today Jesus tells us that life, is born from death and he uses the example of what happens to a seed after it has been planted in soil to explain this.
Have you ever tried planting seeds? Maybe you have watched someone planting vetches (ġulbiena). The little seeds are hard and dry and seem to be dead. If we plant the seeds in damp soil and cover them up and leave them in the right conditions after a few days you can see little shoots coming out of the soil. Soon they will develop into plants!
Jesus was telling his friends that he had to be like a seed. He knew that soon he was going to die on the cross, he would be buried but then after three days he would come back to life. It made him sad but he knew that he had to do this. He told the apostles that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies it bears much fruit.” Jesus saw his own death like the process of the seed which whilst seeming to be dead will actually begin to grow into a plant and produce more seeds. Like a plant we are called to grow and bear fruit….not apples and oranges but the seed of Jesus’ love in our hearts should be nourished and it will cause good actions. It needs the right conditions in which to grow, we should ask Jesus to help us to grow in our love for him and his teachings.
Through our actions we can show others how Jesus’ love can grow. Our actions, even if we do one little thing to help someone else can grow into something big.
[09:09] Micallef Mariosa
What could you do this week to make a difference to someone who needs help? For example, you could talk to or call someone who is alone, or you can send them a drawing or card just to show that you are thinking of them.
Now you may plant the seeds you have prepared in the pots and water them whilst watching this song.
Then place them on a window sill …….. and wait for them to grow!
1. In today's Gospel we read that some Greeks went to seek one among the apostles so that he might take them to meet Jesus. Who was the apostle to whom they spoke?
2. When the Greeks went to Philip, he went to seek one among his brethren apostles to tell him what had happened. To whom did Philip speak?
3. When he was speaking to the apostles, notwithstanding that Jesus felt saddened by the fact that the passion was getting closer, Jesus prayed and said...
4. In that particular moment, Jesus announced that someone was going to be driven out. To whom was Jesus referring to?...
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