Homily - 5th Sunday of Lent - Year B

Our readings today remind us to live so closely to Jesus that we become identified with Him, just like his first disciples were.

People came to Philip saying, “We would like to see Jesus.”
As our relationship with the Lord progresses, we begin by seeking Him.
Then we find Him.  We get to know Him and this leads us to love Him.

In our first reading today, the Lord says he will make a New covenant – “All, from the least to the greatest, shall know me, say the Lord.”

In the Gospel Jesus says: “I will draw everyone to myself.”
This is starting to be fulfilled even before he goes to the Cross.
We hear today that the Greeks are now coming to him.

After the resurrection, we’re going to hear the story of the amazing catch of fish.

And St. Peter drags the net to shore with supernatural strength.
This is the same verb being used in both these cases.
Jesus drags or draws everyone to himself.
St. Peter drags or draws the net with supernatural strength.
What does this have to do with us?
Jesus uses us to draw everyone to himself.
And that is important because He is the Living God.
The Father says “I have glorified [my Name] and will glorify it again.”
His name is glorified as he takes on human flesh in the Incarnation.
And it is glorified once again in the Resurrection.
Both of these show us the fullness of divinity in Jesus.

And Jesus says the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

How was he glorified?
By a gruesome tortuous death like we see on the cross.
Jesus tells Philip and Andrew that the grain of wheat must die in order to produce fruit.
Can you imagine what these guys are probably thinking?
What does that have to do with you being glorified?
We know how it ends: The Resurrection
But there’s more:
By virtue of our baptism, we are also promised the resurrection.
Jesus wins over death.
And because of his victory, we win over death.

The dead wood of the cross becomes a living tree.

Living trees bear fruit.
This one bears the greatest fruit – eternal life for us.
He has changed death to life, and suffering to redemption.
We still suffer as we embrace our crosses.
But now our suffering has greater redemptive meaning.
Our suffering is now a communion between us and Christ, and between each other.
Since we are in communion with Christ in our suffering,
All suffering brings about healing and redemption.

We all have our crosses to carry.

Some are more obvious than others.
But we never carry our crosses for ourselves alone.
All our crosses are beneficial for the healing of the whole world.
The Christian should see every type of suffering and contradiction as a sharing in the Cross of Christ.
It is through the Cross that we are redeemed and ultimately exalted.
Just like in Christ, humiliation leads to his glorification.

In that victory, the ruler of this world will be driven out.

The Lord has won the war with His death and resurrection.
It just has to be played out in time.
And notice how arrogant and consumed with pride the evil one is.
Even though he has lost the war, he is still going to take as many souls to eternal death as he can.
The victory has been the Lord’s since he walked in the earth.
In the Gospel today the Father speaks in the thunder.
Thunder accompanies the hour of victory.

There is a war for souls in our midst.

And this war is fought on many fronts.
Pope John Paul II coined the phrase: “Culture of Death”.
The culture of death begins with individualism and selfishness.
I do whatever I want for myself right now no matter how it affects others.
This leads to horrible things like murder and abortion.
It leads to robbery and assault.
It leads to things like contraception and sterilization that weaken the family, which is the basic building block of society.
The evil one knows that if he weakens the family, he weakens society.
In a weakened society, without moral character, one that rarely acknowledges the living God, the evil one is easily able to take away souls.
Now many people, who even call themselves Catholics, are willing to trade religious freedom so some can people can have free contraceptives.
If they only knew the damage that it causes society.
A few weeks ago, I gave a homily explaining how that damage happens so I’ll spare you the details once again.
Pope Paul VI predicted way back in 1968 what would happen in a contraceptive mentality.
All his predictions came true.
There would be a general lowering of moral standards.
There would be a rise in marital infidelity.
Men would become more irresponsible.
Women would be used for their bodies.
Divorce would increase.  Out of wedlock births would increase.
This country was founded for religious freedom.
And now many are willing to throw it all away because of a particular ideology.
In the coming weeks, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in regards to our religious freedom.
We must fast and pray in these last weeks of Lent.
We must also be people of action.
It is difficult but the things that are worthwhile usually are.
To be supernaturally effective, we must die to self forgetting our own comfort and selfishness.
Earthly prestige is not important but acceptance by God is.
We are challenged to rejoice in accepting the burdens of others and our own.

In Jesus’ humanity, he did not want to suffer and die.

He prays to the Father who gives him the strength.

But we might acknowledge some fear or hesitation to accept our crosses daily.

The Lord gives us the grace we need to take up our cross daily, to take the leap of faith, and trust.
As we enter into the mysteries of the Eucharist, the Lord offers us an abundance of grace to accept our crosses with joy.