Dying to Bear Fruit

03-20-2021Weekly ReflectionFr. James Aboyi, V.C.

Today is the last weekend before Palm Sunday which begins Holy Week. Most of the Gospel readings during this time highlight the events that lead to the passion and death of Jesus on Good Friday. It is not obvious in the Gospel today to see the literal connection between why the Greek visitors in Jerusalem were seeking to meet with Jesus and why Jesus responded using the analogy of death and rising. Scripture scholars suggest that it appears a rumor was going around Jerusalem that Jesus would be arrested during the Passover week. This explains why the Greeks were seeking to alert Jesus and probably invite him to flee with them to their country for safety. The response that Jesus gives is a clue that their request has something to do with his impending death and thus his resolve to stay and face it. “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.... And what should I say -- ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour” (John 12:23, 27).

Jesus used the analogy of a grain of wheat to explain his willingness to submit himself to the WILL of the Father: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a single grain but if it dies, it produces much fruits” (John 12:24). We can all identify with this analogy in many ways. Letting go of our personal desires, plans, ambitions and dreams in life is not easy. It is even more diffi cult when we have to do so for the sake of others. This usually is a serious decision requiring the full consent of our WILL. For instance, many parents have beautiful dreams for themselves, but often they realize they need to put their personal dreams on hold to focus on their children, or sometimes sacrifice their dreams completely for the sake of their family.

Suppose your marriage is falling apart and you need outside help but you feel ashamed to seek help. Dying to yourself in this situation will mean dying to your pride in order to ask for help. Suppose close friends tell you that you are developing a drinking problem, but you keep denying it in spite of mounting evidence. Dying to yourself in this case will mean admitting your problem and seeking professional help. Suppose a friend or a family member has hurt you and you are holding a grudge against them. Dying to yourself in this sense means forgiving them from your heart and loving them as God loves them.

The Gospel today invites us to examine our willingness to submit ourselves to the WILL of God, especially when our personal desires come in conflict with God’s WILL in our lives. This is a decision we constantly have to make in our lives. We constantly have to choose to obey God or disobey Him, to live for God or live for ourselves, to follow the way of the world or to follow the way of the Cross.

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