Fifth Sunday of Lent Year B John 12, 20-33

Today’s Gospel tells about a group of pilgrims from Greece who came to Jerusalem for the holidays. The news about Jesus also reached them; they wanted to see him. They were a group of enthusiastic converts from Greek paganism to Judaism. We know that the depth of Jewish theology touched many Greek thinkers, which they discovered in Moses and the Prophets and the exemplary lives of Jewish believers. This group of pilgrims comes to Jesus through the apostles. They approached Philip, and he, in turn, told Ondrej about it, and together, they came to announce it to Jesus. The common prayer of the apostles opens the door of faith for them.

Desire is fundamental in the spiritual life. Those who truly desire to “know Christ” will find him. P. Jozef Augustín SJ, referring to the experience of St. Ignatius, says: “The essence of spiritual life is deep wishes and desires from our human side. If we didn’t have these deep desires and wishes, we wouldn’t be able to lead a real spiritual life. Therefore, before each prayer, let us ask ourselves what wishes to guide our prayer. Our prayer encounters with God are often superficial because they are not primarily motivated by deep desires, but rather by a sense of duty, guilt, fear, or human considerations.” “

Jesus told them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” The meaning of his coming is the celebration of the “Son of Man.” What it means: “Son of Man”. It is a messianic title found in the prophets Ezekiel and Daniel. This title was the least warped by various false notions. Jesus prefers to use it when discussing himself and his mission.
On the other hand, this title also has a general meaning. In Hebrew, “son of man” means the general term “man.” Psalms use it in this sense, for example. In the celebration of the “Son of Man,” about which Jesus speaks, it is therefore about him, but at the same time, through him the lifting up of all fallen humanity, through his victory over sin and death.

Jesus knows that these people will soon have to return to their country, so he tries to give his teaching in the maximum possible summary. It shows that more important than seeing him and remembering his physical form is to hear, understand, and recognize his word. Then he announces to them a kind of maximum condensation of the Gospel: “Truly, truly, I say to you: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it will bring forth a great harvest.” We see a mini gospel edition that fits into one grain of wheat. If we were so poor that we could not afford to buy a bible, one grain of wheat is enough, and let us meditate on it, observe it, and learn from it! A grain of wheat refutes false myths about the meaning of earthly life. Many think they are in the world to enjoy themselves as much as possible. But even when looking for a friend, we should not choose a reckless egoist; instead, we should prefer someone who knows how to make sacrifices. If a grain of wheat wants to produce a harvest, which is its purpose and what we expect from it, it must fall into the ground. We can say that it has to “bury itself,” die, and sacrifice its beauty and taste, and only then is it able to sprout and bear fruit. God also has his wheat grains, which are us. We have similar purposes: to bring a harvest, both physically and spiritually, even at the cost of sacrifice.

Another statement confirms this: “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will save it for eternal life!” Let’s ask ourselves, “What is my relationship with my earthly life?” they ask, “How am I doing?” I usually answer with a smile: “After living in exile and being sentenced to death, very well!” We forget that man was expelled from paradise after the original sin. He got into a world that is said to be in the power of the Evil One. (Cf. 1 John 5:19) We are all condemned to death. How deluded we are when we love our exile. We probably love it because it is still so beautiful that we don’t even realize it, but our homeland is in the heavens. Old age and dying will test us the most in this area. Are we looking forward to meeting our Lord and God, or are we anxiously worried for our lives? Do we want to enjoy as much as possible, or are we willing to sacrifice and bear fruit? Are we willing to give up our selfishness and become the Revelation of God – Love?

“If anyone serves me, let him follow me! And where I am, there my servant be also. Whoevealso be there’s me, the Father will honor him.” How strange it sounds: Serve, servant! But God himself is a servant. Jesus reveals God, who washes the apostles’ feet. But God does much more humble things, like washing feet. He works in us so that we can eliminate all evil, both of a physical and spiritual nature. The word “serve” seems inhuman to us. We fight for liberation from every form of subordination. We also want to escape under the “oppression” of God’s commands.
On the other hand, our unwillingness to obey God and his laws throws us into slavery to our unbridled passions. Free from the law of Love, we become slaves to ourselves and demons. Service to God through Christ leads to man’s glorification. The Creator himself will honor such a person. God was not jealous of man’s greatness because it lies in Love and, therefore, in himself.

“Now my soul is excited. What does he have to say? Father, save me from that hour? After all, I came for this hour. Father, glorify your Name!” We know what Jesus means by the hour for which he came into the world. It is not his Transfiguration on Mount Tabor but his painful death on the Cross. Jesus lives for this hour. And this is the gateway to the revelation of Love. A voice from heaven answered his request: “I have already glorified and will glorify again.” This voice sounds like a testimony for us.

Let us note one last thought: “Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” And I, when I am lifted from the earth, will draw all to myself.” Jesus is talking about the judgment of the world. Those who believe in him will not be judged, but the world will be considered. The prince of this world will be cast out. The devil is here called “the prince of this world.” He is a ruler who wants to corrupt us, who wants to take away our faith, hope, and Love, and who wants to destroy our purity. He attacks us through the media and politics. Let’s not let him corrupt us. We will win over him only when we cling to the Cross, when we accept the Crucified Jesus as our Lord and deny our selfish ego, unwilling to die to self. Jesus, raised from the earth on the Cross, has an extraordinary power of attraction.

Bishop Meliton of Sardis says: “He was led like a lamb, he was killed like a sheep, he redeemed us from the service of the world, as if from Egypt and freed us from the devil’s slavery, as if from the hand of Pharaoh; he marked our soul with his Spirit and the members of our body with his blood. He covered death with shame and made the devil cry like Moses the Pharaoh. He smote iniquity and condemned unrighteousness to barrenness like Moses Egypt. He brought us from slavery to freedom, from darkness to light, from death to life, from tyranny to the eternal kingdom, and made us a new priesthood and a chosen people forever. He is the Passover lamb of our salvation.”