Lent: Day 16

There were a number of Greeks among the Jews who went up to worship at the feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and said, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their lives will lose them. Those who hate their lives in this world will keep them to eternal life. Whoever serves me, must follow me. Where I am, there will my servant also be. The Father will honor anyone who serves me.

“My soul is troubled. Shall I say, ‘Father, save me from this time?’ It is for this purpose I came to this time. Father, glorify your name!”

A voice from the heavens said, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd who stood by and heard said it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

Jesus answered, “This voice hasn’t come for my sake, but for yours. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out. If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” He said this, signifying how he would die. 

The crowd answered, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever. How do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up?’ Who is this Son of Man?”

Jesus therefore said to them, “Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. Whoever walks in the darkness doesn’t know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become children of light.” Jesus said these things and left, hiding himself from them. 

Reflection

Jesus speaks here of his death, and of our death as well. Dying to self and coming alive in God is central to the teaching of Jesus and contrary to almost everything in the world. What does it mean to you to die to self? Is it an event? A process? What does it involve? 

Prayer: In the mystery of dying to self, Lord, help me grab hold of the life that is truly worth living.