“Once I am lifted up — I will draw all men to Myself."

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Lectionary: 35

 

Il-Ħames Ħadd tar-Randan

 

Reading 1     -   JERemiah 31:31-34

The days are 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 I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand  to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;  for they broke my covenant,  and I had to show myself their master, 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 place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;  I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,  for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more. This is the Word of The Lord.

Qari I    -    mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Ġeremija 31, 31-34

Araw, għad jiġi żmien, oraklu tal-Mulej, meta jien nagħmel patt ġdid ma’ dar  Iżrael u dar Ġuda; mhux bħall-patt li għamilt ma’ missirijiethom fiż-żmien meta qbadthom minn idejhom biex ħriġthom mill-art tal-Eġittu, il-patt tiegħi li huma kisru, għalkemm jien kont l-għarus tagħhom, oraklu tal-Mulej. Imma dan ikun il-patt li għad nagħmel ma’ dar Iżrael wara dawk il-jiem, oraklu tal-Mulej. Inqiegħed il-liġi tiegħi fosthom u niktibha f’qalbhom; u jiena nkun Alla tagħhom, u huma  jkunu l-poplu tiegħi. Ma jgħallmux iżjed lil xulxin, u ħadd ma jgħid lil ħuh: “Agħraf il-Mulej”, għaliex ilkoll kemm huma jkunu jafuni, miż-żgħir sal-kbir, oraklu tal-Mulej. Għax jien naħfrilhom ħżunithom, u ħtijiethom ma niftakarhomx aktar. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej 

Responsorial Psalm    -   PSalm  51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15.

R. (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.

R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.

Salm Responsorjali    -    Salm 50 (51), 3-4.12-13.14-15

  

Ikollok ħniena minni, o Alla, fi tjubitek;

fil-kobor tal-ħniena tiegħek ħassar ħtijieti.

Aħsilni kollni mill-ħtija tiegħi;

naddafni mid-dnub tiegħi.

R/.  Oħloq fija qalb safja, o Alla

Oħloq fija qalb safja, o Alla,

u spirtu qawwi ġedded fija.

La twarrabnix minn quddiemek,

tneħħix minni l-ispirtu qaddis tiegħek.

R/.  Oħloq fija qalb safja, o Alla

Roddli l-hena tas-salvazzjoni tiegħek,

u bi spirtu qalbieni wettaqni.

Lill-midinbin ngħallem triqatek,

u l-ħatjin jerġgħu lura lejk.

R/.  Oħloq fija qalb safja, o Alla

                                    

Reading 2   -  HEBrews  5:7-9

In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh, he offered 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 reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;  and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. This is the Word of The Lord.

Qari II    -   mill-Ittra lil-Lhud 5, 7-9

Meta kien jgħix fuq din l-art, Kristu offra talb u suppliki b’leħen għoli u bid-dmugħ lil dak li seta’ jsalvah mill-mewt. U kien mismugħ minħabba fil-qima tiegħu lejn Alla. Għad li kien Iben, tgħallem minn dak li bata xi tfisser l-ubbidjenza. U, billi laħaq il-perfezzjoni, sar awtur tas-salvazzjoni ta’ dejjem għal kull min jisma’ minnu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel   -   JohN 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. 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 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. This is the Word of The Lord.

Evanġelju    -   Qari skont San Ġwann 12, 20-33

F’dak iż-żmien, fost dawk li telgħu biex iqimu lil Alla fil-festa kien hemm xi Griegi. Dawn marru għand Filippu li kien minn Betsajda tal-Galilija, u talbuh: “Sinjur, nixtiequ naraw lil Ġesù”. Filippu mar jgħid lil Indrì, u mbagħad Indrì u Filippu marru jgħidu lil Ġesù. U Ġesù weġibhom: “Waslet is-siegħa li fiha Bin il-bniedem ikun igglorifikat. Tassew tassew ngħidilkom, jekk il-ħabba tal-qamħ ma taqax fl-art u tmut, hi tibqa’ weħidha; imma jekk tmut, tagħmel ħafna frott. Min iħobb lil ħajtu jitlifha; imma min jobgħod lil ħajtu f’din id-dinja jħarisha għall-ħajja ta’ dejjem. Jekk xi ħadd irid jaqdini, hu għandu jimxi warajja, u fejn inkun jien, hemm ukoll ikun il-qaddej tiegħi. Min jaqdi lili, il-Missier jagħtih ġieħ. Issa qiegħed inħoss ruħi mħawda. U x’naqbad ngħid? Missier, eħlisni minn din is-siegħa? Imma jien għalhekk ġejt: għal din is-siegħa. Missier, agħti glorja lil ismek”. Dak il-ħin instama’ leħen mis-sema: “Jien diġà gglorifikajtu, u nerġa’ nigglorifikah”. In-nies li kienu hemm semgħuh, u qalu li kien qiegħed iriegħed. Oħrajn qalu: “Kellmu xi anġlu”. Ġesù wieġeb: “Dan il-leħen ma ġiex għalija, imma għalikom. Il-ġudizzju ta’ din id-dinja qiegħed isir issa. Issa se jitkeċċa l-Prinċep ta’ din id-dinja. U meta nintrefa’ ’l fuq mill-art, jiena niġbed il-bnedmin kollha lejja”. Hu qal dan biex jurihom b’liema mewt kien sejjer imut. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Gazing upon the Face of Jesus

Commentary by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB

The Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year B) invites us to fix our gaze upon Jesus, the model priest of suffering, compassion and human solidarity.

First, let us consider John’s Gospel story from Chapter 12 -- a fitting climax to Jesus' public ministry. It is the last official act before the events of his passion next Sunday. There are Gentiles, non-Jews, who seek Jesus out for the first time. They do not come simply to catch a glimpse of him, to have some general audience with him, but rather to "see" him. In John's Gospel, "seeing" Jesus is believing in him. How simple yet how stunning a request: "Sir, we would like to see Jesus" [John 12:21]!

Throughout the entire Scriptures, men and women have longed to see God, to gaze upon God's countenance, beauty and glory. How many times in the psalms do we ask to see the face of God? "Shine your face on your servant" (Psalm 119:135). Not only do we beg to see God's face, but we are told to look for it. "Seek my face," says the Lord (Psalm 27:8).

But we cannot seem to find the face we are told to look for. Then the laments begin: "Do not hide your face from me" (Psalm 102:2). "Why do you hide your face from me?" (Psalm 88:14). "How long will you hide your face from me?" (Psalm 13:2). We beg, we seek, but we cannot find God's face. Then we are distraught. Moses, speaking as friend-to-friend, asked to see God's face. But God said to him, "You cannot see my face; for no one shall see my face and live" (Exodus 33:20).

When we ask in the Psalms to see God's face, we are really asking to see God as God truly is, to gaze into the depths of God. In the last chapter of the last book of the Scriptures, it is written: "They will see his face" (Revelation 22:4). We see God's face revealed to us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. How often do we long to “see” the face of Jesus? Where are we seeking his face today? What do we do when we finally “see” the face of Jesus?

Garden of suffering

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews is filled with the thoughts and theology of Paul and John, but he also contemplates Jesus' agony in the garden in relation to temple sacrifices and the priesthood according to the Hebrew Scriptures. The Old Testament never dreamed of requiring the high priest to make himself like his brothers and sisters, but was preoccupied on the contrary with separating him from them. An attitude of compassion toward sinners appeared to be incompatible with the priesthood of the Old Covenant. Furthermore, no text ever required that the high priest should be free from all sin.

Hebrews 5:7-9 presents us with a different type of priesthood -- one of extraordinary compassion and solidarity. In his days on earth, Jesus shared our flesh and blood, crying out with prayers and silent tears. Jesus has been tested in all respects like us -- he knows all of our difficulties; he is a tried man; he knows our condition from the inside and from the outside -- only by this did he acquire a profound capacity for compassion. That is the only kind of priesthood that makes a difference, and that matters, then and now.

What does this image of Jesus teach us today? Far from creating an abyss between Jesus Christ and ourselves, our own daily trials and weaknesses have become the privileged place of our encounter with him, and not only with him, but with God himself. The consequence is that from now on, not one of us can be bowed down under a painful situation without finding that Christ is, by that very fact, at our side. Jesus was "heard because of his 'reverence' or his 'pious submission.'" And we are given the consolation that we, too, will be heard because of our own persistence in prayer, our reverence before God and our pious submission to his will for us.

John Paul II's agony

We read in today’s Gospel passage that the Greeks address themselves first to Philip, who is from the village of Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee: "Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus" (John 12:22). To see Jesus, one must be led to him by an apostle. The testimony of those who lived with him, at his side, shows him to us and we cannot do without this testimony.

We need the apostolic writings, especially the Gospels, handed down to us by tradition, of which our parents, priests, deacons, teachers, catechists, preachers and other believers are witnesses and bearers of the Good News. How important and necessary it is to recognize those key people in our lives who are living witnesses and links to the tradition and the Good News about Jesus Christ! One such person for millions of people throughout the world was Karol Wojtyla, the man we know as Pope John Paul II.

 

In April 2005, the world witnessed the agony and passion of this Successor of Peter in a most public way. As we commemorate the 13th anniversary of the John Paul II's death on April 2, I cannot help but recall those moving days and see how much he revealed to us the face of God and the image of Jesus crucified.

One of the most powerful lessons he taught us in the twilight of his Pontificate was that everyone must suffer, even the Vicar of Christ. Rather than hide his infirmities, as most public figures do, he let the whole world see what he went through. In the final act of his life, the athlete was immobilized, the distinctive, booming voice silenced, and the hand that produced voluminous encyclicals no longer able to write. Yet nothing made John Paul II waver, even the debilitating sickness hidden under the glazed Parkinsonian mask, and ultimately his inability to speak and move. Many believe that the most powerful message he preached was when the words and actions failed.

One of the unforgettable, silent, teaching moments of those final days took place on Good Friday night 2005, while the Pope, seated in his private chapel in the Vatican, viewed the television coverage of the Via Crucis from Rome’s Colosseum. At the station commemorating the death of the Lord, a television camera in the papal chapel showed the Pope embracing a cross in his hands with his cheek resting against the wood. His accepting of suffering and death needed no words. The image spoke for itself.

Several hours before his death, Pope John Paul's last audible words were: "Let me go to the house of the Father." In the intimate setting of prayer, as Mass was celebrated at the foot of his bed and the throngs of faithful sang below in St. Peter's Square, he died at 9:37 p.m. on April 2. Through his public passion, suffering and death, this holy priest, Successor of the Apostles, and Servant of God, showed us the face of Jesus in a remarkable way.

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