Contributed by Father Paul S. Voisin, C.R.
Father Paul is a Waterloo native, was ordained to the priesthood as a Resurrectionist on May 14, 1977. He has served in pastoral ministry in Kitchener and Brantford, Ontario, education and pastoral ministry in La Paz, and formation and pastoral ministry in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He served as Provincial Superior of the Ontario-Kentucky Province from 2005 to 2008. He is presently the Vicar General of the Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda, and Rector of St. Theresa’s Cathedral.
Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 22, 2015
GATHERINGTIME(10-15 minutes)
Introduction to the Word:
There is a story about an eaglet, a baby eagle, whose mother did not return to the nest one day.After hearing the cries of the eaglet, the farmer took the bird and put it together with the baby chicks on his farm.They grew together in harmony.One day the farmer realized that it was time for the eaglet to leave the chicken coop.So he began to take the eagle high up in the barn or up a tree, and throw him from that height, hoping that the eagle would discover that he would spread his wings and fly.Finally the day arrived when the eagle, tired of falling from great heights, spread his wings and flew, soaring far above the barnyard.The eagle finally realized that he was not like the other birds in the barnyard - chickens - but that he was an eagle.
What does this have to do with our readings of this weekend, the Fifth Sunday of the Lenten season?In the Gospel Jesus tells us that "unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of what; 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."One has to "lose their life" in order to truly live.Just as the eaglet had to 'die' to its (false) identity as a chicken, in order to be an eagle, we must - in our spiritual life - 'die' to our former sinful self in order to truly live.Just as we may see it as natural that the eagle fly (unlike the chickens), and that the seed 'die' in order to produce the plant, we are to recognize that it is natural for us to die to our past, in order to embrace a present and future with Jesus Christ as its centre.
As humans we resist change.Even though we may recognize that 'all is not well', we may not be willing to put up with our present reality instead of stepping out in faith and trying another way.Sound familiar?Sound ridiculous?During our Lenten journey Jesus invites us over and over again to embrace a change: turning from sin to grace, and from death to life.
Warm-up Activity (about 8-10 minutes)
As we are now closer to Easter Sunday than we are to Ash Wednesday, let us reflect on how our Lenten journey is progressing.
a)What particular graces have we received so far in this Lenten season of 2015?
b)What are some areas of my life that Jesus is asking me to reform, and to be transformed?
c)How do I react to calls to change in my life?How have I responded to a changeof school, a change of residence, or a change of job?
d)Why and how am I willing to risk all and allow myself to "lose my life" in order to live more fully my life in Christ?
The Table of the Word
THEME
"On Eagle's Wings"
I am sure that we have all sung the song, "On Eagle's Wings", written by Fr. Michael Joncas.It was inspired by Psalm 91.(Remember, as St. Augustine said, "When we sing well, we pray twice".Perhaps someone from your group can lead you in singing it.)Let me refresh your memory:
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord, who abide in his shadow for life,
say to the Lord, "My refuge, my rock in whom I trust."
And he will raise you up on eagle's wings, bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of his hand.
The snare of the fowler will never capture you, and famine will bring you no fear:
under his wings your refuge, his faithfulness your shield.
You need not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day;
though thousands fall about you, near you it shall not come.
For to his angels he's given a command to guard you in all of your ways;
upon their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
This song cannot help but inspire confidence in us - that God is with us, providing for us, and protecting us.Truly, we have nothing to fear!
I have been told that, at a certain time, the mature eagle picks up its young and takes it high in the sky and lets go - letting the eaglet fall to earth.(Maybe the farmer did have the right idea!)The mature (parent) eagle has confidence that the young one will 'do what comes naturally', and flap its wings and fly.However, if the young one does not, the mature eagle swoops down to "raise up" the eaglet, saving it from injury or death.It has been saved 'on eagle's wings'.
In our life with God, we too have been saved from injury or death by God.He has swooped down to us, in our need, and has "raised us up".That is what Lent is all about, is it not?Each and every day of our Lenten journey the Lord provides us with opportunities for grace, opportunities to be "raised up" to a new life in union with him.Then when we come to our celebration of the Paschal Mystery we will truly be "raised up", definitively, with Jesus as we celebrate his resurrection from the dead.We who have died with him, have "lost our lives", will rise with him to a new life.
Leader:As we are called to new life in Christ, let us approach our Lord in confidence.
Lord Jesus, Give us courage to trust in youLord, have mercy.
Christ Jesus,Help us to die to ourselves in order to live life anew Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus,Transform us into living testimonies of faith Lord, have mercy.
Let us Pray(together):
Lord God,
continue to be with us on our Lenten journey.
We have come so far, but we realize that we still have so far yet to go
in order to share more fully in your life,
and give witness of you to others.
We must continue to 'let go',
to "die to ourselves" so that you may live in us.
We ask this grace in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION TIME(45 minutes)
(As Christians we believe that the WORD of God we hear proclaimed each Sunday is an empowering Word, and that God is present in the Word proclaimed.This is the Word that God wants us to hear today.)
FIRST READING (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the house of Judah.It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt - a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.but this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord.I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.The Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.
SECOND READING (Hebrews 5:7-9)
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
The Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL (John 12:20-23)
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.Glory to you, O Lord.
Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks.They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."Philip went and told Andrew, then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.The person who loves their life loses it, and the person who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.Now my soul is troubled.And what should I say - 'Father, save me from this hour?'No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.Father, glorify your name."Then a voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again".The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder.Others said, "An angel has spoken to him:.Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine.Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
The Gospel of the Lord.Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Lectio Divina means “sacred prayer.” It was a popular form of prayer in the early Church. This Word proclaimed today is God’s own Word, God’s way of speaking to you today through his own Spirit. So take a few moments to be quiet, allowing this Word you have just heard to touch you as you reflect quietly on the three readings. Is there a word or thought that somehow attracts you or has your interest? If so, simply identify it—no need to explain it—just identify it.
COMMENTARY:
Our First Reading, from the prophet Jeremiah, brings us good news.How the prophets sought to bring 'good news', as so much of their words was seen as 'bad news'!They were constantly calling the people of God to change, renewal, and conversion.God is promising a new covenant.He will not abandon his people due to their infidelity.His divine love and mercy goes beyond that!This covenant will not be 'external' - depending on signs and rituals - but one that is deeply 'internal' - of the heart and soul.He promises to "write it on our hearts".How much more intimate can he be with us than that?He tells us that "I will be their God, and they shall be my people".That is us!!We are the people of God!Through the new covenant of the Lamb of God, Jesus, we share in his life.By our Baptism we have become 'his'.
In our Second Reading, from the Letter to the Hebrews, we see to what extent Jesus was willing to "die" (literally, not only figuratively) for our sins.Indeed, he was obedient, which led him to the cross of Calvary.He would not, and did not, say 'No' to the Father.He had come to do the Father's will, and he was faithful to the end.He calls us, as he is the "source of eternal salvation", to follow his example and "obey him".Then we will truly be his, and our lives more and more faithfully mirror his life.
Our Gospel is filled with many messages.I have chosen only one of numerous directions in which this 'Good News' could take us.What most impressed me though, on this occasion, was the "grain of wheat" that must "fall to the ground and die".After all, is that not an essential element of our Lenten journey?We are to die to ourselves, to our sinfulness, in order to rise, and receive the gift of life from God.Sometimes the words of Jesus, "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life", confuse its readers, as our first impression may be, "Didn't Jesus teach just the opposite?Life is precious and should not be "lost", and how can we "hate our life" when it is a gift from God?"That losing of our life is in that dying to self, putting aside the passing dreams of our human nature, and embracing the eternal dreams of God for us.God sees our purpose as beyond those of our material realities.It is discovered, also, in the example of Jesus, who "lost" his life so that he - and we - may have life eternally.That "hating" of our life is not one of disgust or hatred, but the realization that we are more than flesh and bones, and that, in order to live forever with God, we must embrace our spiritual life and not limit ourselves to human realities.We are all called to "die", like "the seed", to all that separates us from God - our feelings and thoughts, our words and actions.To remain a seed means to not enter into the process of new life that God offers us (and nature confirms).A seed is not created to just be a seed, but to be the source of life in a plant.We are not created just to be people of skin and bone, but to flower into mature spiritual individuals who live fully the precious life that God has given us.
In the Resurrection Prayer, which we will pray at the end of this session, we hear this dynamic process expressed so beautifully.We must die in order to rise!This can be a painful process in our human condition, as we let go of what we know - even though it is our sinfulness - and go beyond to live a life that proclaims that we belong to Jesus Christ, and we have our eyes set on his kingdom.
Allow about 5 - 10 minutes for the participants to react to the Commentary
to identify a newly discovered insight or an idea newly described.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion:
1."I will be their God, and they shall be my people"(Jeremiah)
What an assuring message from God.We are his!
a)How do I experience this reality - that I am God's people?
b)What does this covenant with God mean to me?Not only intellectually, but in my lived experience.
2."He learned obedience"(Hebrews)
a)Am I "obedient" to the will of God, as Jesus was?
b)What will my obedience bring me - in the present moment, and in the life to come?
3."It bears much fruit"(John)
a)What is the "fruit" that I hope to bear?
b)How I am securing it for myself (and others) by my Lenten journey?
c)Am I willing to "die" and "hate my life" in the sense described?
d)Have I experiencedthat swooping down of the eagle (Jesus) to protect and save me during this Lenten journey?
CARING-PRAYING TIME: (15-20 minutes)
1.Word for the Week:"And he will raise you up on eagle's wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, make you to shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of his hand".
2.Suggestion for this week:During this week, be aware of the movement of the Spirit in your daily life:
- how God is calling you to new life
- how God is (swooping down) and showing you that he is with you, providing for you, protecting you, and saving you
- how you are "dying" in order to rise
- how you are becoming more obedient to God, and with what result.
3.Intercessions:(Response:Lord, hear our prayer)
Leader:Let us bring our prayers to God, with the confidence of being his people.
That our Lenten journey will reflect that dying and rising with Jesus, the Christ, we pray...
That those who lack the feeling that God is with them, that he is providing for them, protecting them, and saving them, will open their eyes, ears and hearts to recognize him, we pray ...
That we will seek out more fervently the will of God, and find the determination and confidence - through God's grace - to do it, we pray ...
That we will more fully embrace the virtues and values of the kingdom of God, in order to share them with our fellow journeyers, we pray ...
That all God's people will recognize their true identity (like the eagle), and respond to the occasions of grace that are ours, we pray ...
How can we help you in prayer this week?
Let us pray(together):
O Risen Lord,
the way, the truth and the life,
make us faithful followers of the spirit of your resurrection.
Grant that we may be inwardly renewed; dying to ourselves in order that you may live in us. May our lives serve as signs of the transforming power of your love.