The coming of Jesus' hour

It's the fifth Sunday of Lent and as Holy Week draws near we are taught a very important lesson in life by the Roman Catholic Church: Death is very much a part of life. That indeed, the cycle of life is birth and death. Today's gospel is about the coming of the Hour of Jesus, something that we learned very early in his Galilean ministry when the Blessed Virgin Mary told Jesus at the Wedding in Cana. "Son they ran out wine." The Lord Jesus answered his Mother, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." The blessed Mother then told the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." But in today's gospel, finally the Hour of the Lord has indeed arrived. You can read it in John 12: 20-33.

"20 Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast 21 came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus." 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; 24 but if it dies, it produces much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. 

27 I am troubled now. Yet what should I say, 'Father, save me from this hour?' But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it and will glorify it again." 29 The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, "An angel has spoken to him." 30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. 31 Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 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."

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The day of reckoning for our Lord Jesus had finally come. "His hour" would mean that he would suffer public humiliation, abandonment by friends and, worst of all, betrayal by close friends. Not to mention he would suffer torture at the hands of the Romans. Yet he justifies his coming death by telling his disciples, "Amen, amen, I say to you, 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. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life."

Our Lord Jesus is practically saying that if he doesn't die then his life would be meaningless, as he would not bear any fruit. But like the grain of wheat, if he dies, he would bear much fruit, which is pleasing to The Father. Yet our Lord knows too well how he would suffer greatly in the hands of the Jews, which is troubling enough. This is why he said, "I am troubled now. Yet what should I say, 'Father, save me from this hour?' But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour."

While it is distressing for a disciple of our Lord to hear him prophesy his impending death, however it is comforting to his disciples when he said: "Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me." At the end of today's gospel, we read once more our Lord saying, "And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." The act of lifting up means that after he is nailed to the cross, the Roman soldiers would raise him up for everyone to see.

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