Fifth Sunday of Lent
Mar 22, 2015
Gospel Jn 12:20-33
Some Greeks
who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to
Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like
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 (1). Amen, amen, I
say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains
just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve (2) it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will
my servant be. The Father
will honor whoever serves me.
“I am
troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save
me from this hour’? But it was
for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father,
glorify your name.” Then a voice
came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd there
heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to
him.” Jesus
answered and said, "This voice did not come for my sake but for yours". Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to
myself.” He said this
indicating the kind of death he would die.
The difficult words
(1) To be glorified is to be given honor, praise, and splendor.
(2) To preserve means to keep (something)
safe from harm or loss.
This week’s spotlight (Không có Magnifikid tuần 5 mùa chay năm B nên con lấy nội dung này từ năm A và năm C)
Kneeling
during the Eucharistic Prayer
Our bodily posture can help to
express the feelings we have inside of us. To kneel during the Eucharistic
Prayer is a sign of our reverence and awe for the great miracle that takes place
on the altar – the changing of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of
Christ. Kneeling is also a sign of humble prayer in the presence of God. (From: 5th Sunday of Lent - Year A)
The
Kyrie
Kyrie eleison is Greek for “Lord,
have mercy.” It is a very old prayer that we sometimes say together at Mass to
show sorrow for our sins. With these words, we ask the Lord to show mercy on us
because we are weak and often fall into sin. God hears our prayer, forgives us,
and helps us to do better. We are then ready to listen to his word and receive
his body and blood. (From: 5th Sunday of Lent –
Year C)
Reflection
In the gospel for this Sunday,
Jesus gives three different descriptions of the paschal mystery: the grain of
wheat must die to produce good fruit; to lose our life we must hate it; we must
follow Jesus as servants. All three images lead us to the basic truth of the
paschal mystery: by dying to self for the good of others we come to new life.
The goal of Lent and of all
Christian living is voiced by the Greeks in the gospel: “We would like to see
Jesus.” We truly “see” Jesus when we are faithful to His law written on our
hearts (see first reading). The “new covenant” that God writes “upon [our]
hearts” (first reading) is spelled out in the gospel in an unexpected way. The
law is not precepts merely to be obeyed, but is a way of life. And this is his
“law”: become the seed that dies, the life that loses itself, and the servant who
follows. Our lives glorify God (as did Jesus’ life) when we willingly give our
lives for the sake of others.
Living liturgy for Sundays and
Solemnity
Discussion questions
1.
Who wanted
to see Jesus?
2.
Who did
the Greeks talk to?
3.
What did
Jesus say about the grain of wheat that dies?
4.
What
happens to the grain that does not die?
5.
What is
the grain referred to?
6.
For whoever
hates his life in this world, what will he preserve?
7.
What would
you do to glorify God at your school?
Praying after Communion
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer
silently to yourself. If you have not yet received
your First Communion, you can still say this prayer
because of your desire to receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. We all face trouble in our daily life. Instead of asking you to
take them away, let us ask that you help us to face those troubles in such a
way that your name will be glorified. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Crossword Puzzle
