Following God’s will
IN the season of Lent we continue to prepare ourselves spiritually in anticipation of the Easter season, just as Advent is for Christmas. Jesus thought us that there is no resurrection without the Cross, and truly, Lent is the spiritual journey of the Church as it joins Jesus in his great suffering, fulfilling the will of his heavenly father.
The scripture reading this 5th Sunday of Lent describes how the Greeks requested Philip to see Jesus, but Jesus himself responds to this desire by speaking of the hour of glory, which he refers to his death and resurrection. Jesus used two images: the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies to produce much fruit, and his being lifted up or being crucified and exalted at the same time. In this case, the glory of Jesus is not just revealed in the resurrection but in the act of dying.
The first reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah (Jer 31:31-34) narrates that after the infidelity of Israel to the covenant made in the desert, Jeremiah looks forward to a new covenant that Yahweh will make with his people. God would write his law in the hearts of his people who would then live in obedience to God’s law. The second reading from the letter to the Hebrews (Heb 5:7-9) says that Jesus learns obedience to the Father through suffering.
The gospel reading from the Gospel of John (John 12:20-33) characterize an obedient Jesus who trusts the will of his heavenly father – the will of the heavenly Father that the Son will suffer, be crucified, die get buried, and be raised from the dead on the third day. In the conversation between Jesus and the Greeks who requested Philip to see Jesus. Jesus responded by giving the two powerful statements: “Whoever love his life loses it,” and “whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.” How we are ready to follow God’s will in our life?
Just as Jesus taught us, we should always remember, that everything in this world is temporary. We do selfish things to fulfill our desire to be one of the many well-off persons in this world. We forget that God has a plan for us. We forget to trust in his plan and his divine providence.
Let us imitate the virtue that the Lord Jesus Himself did. He became obedient to the will of His heavenly father, to suffer a cruel death and to die on the cross. We are challenged to live our life, following God’s will for us. We are called to fervently pray that God’s will may always happen in our life. We might suffer, we might have a very challenging life, testing our faith, but always remember, it does not end with suffering. There is GLORY in waiting.