Fifth Sunday of Lent

Fifth Sunday of Lent
April 2, 2006

“I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts... I will be their God, and they shall be my people…" (Jer 31:31-34). “Create a clean heart in me, O God.” (Psalm 51). "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life" (John 12:20-33).

We are presented with a profound insight into the relationship between the divine law and human conscience. Jeremiah looks forward to a time when there will be a new relationship between God and the people of God. In this new age we will desire and do only what is right and good, not because we are told to or because it is written in sacred documents, but because it is the only possibility, "written" in the deepest part of us. Nor do we do what is right in order to "get to heaven". We do it because it is the only thing consistent with how we are made in the divine image. Until now this has not been possible because we are self-centered and obtuse about the reason for our existence, which is only to reflect the goodness, truth and beauty of the Most High. This is not something we can do for ourselves. It can only be accomplished by God essentially starting over with us, remaking creation, especially the human part of it which has gone so wrong. The Psalm reflects our desire for this to happen, to be given a "clean heart", a guilt-free conscience. This vision is not just a story from the ancient past. It is both near at hand and far away, now and in the future.

Jesus responds to a request from foreigners (Greek speaking Jews) to talk with him with an enigmatic saying about what it takes to gain eternal life. He compares our spiritual lives to a grain of wheat dying in order to produce life. John obviously wants us to understand this as foreshadowing Christ's death and resurrection. Jesus goes on to express fear and dread about what is to come yet refuses to give in to the temptation to ask for his Father to spare him. How could we relate to a Christ who did not experience all of our doubt, anguish and trepidation? All he asked was that the Most High not abandon him. This is a model of how our prayers should go

Two people very close to me have been surprised by love recently. And it is barely Spring. Knowing them both quite well, I am privileged to witness firsthand the transformation they are undergoing. Both of them have "paid their dues" faithfully over the years without expectations of any immediate reward beyond knowing they are living life as patiently and honestly as possible. Neither of them are traditional "believers". Both have an implicit sense of trust in the Spirit without fanfare. Another friend with a serious life-threatening disease has been surprised with a bit of unexpected energy. Today my respirator mask suddenly fits right. Big deal or small, we never know where and when the grain of wheat which we allow to fall to the ground and die will sprout again to life.