Fifth Sunday of Lent Year B

Jeremiah 31:31-34 See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel (and the House of Judah), but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant of mine, so I had to show them who was master. It is the Lord who speaks. No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbor to try to teach neighbor, or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to know the Lord!’ No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest – it is the Lord who speaks – since I will forgive their iniquity and never call their sin to mind. Psalm 50:3-4,12-15 A pure heart create for me, O God. Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. A pure heart create for me, O God. A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your holy spirit. A pure heart create for me, O God. Give me again the joy of your help; with a spirit of fervor sustain me, that I may teach transgressors your ways and sinners may return to you. A pure heart create for me, O God. Hebrews 5:7-9 During his life on earth, Christ offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation. John 12:20-33 Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. These approached Philip, who came from Bethsaida in Galilee, and put this request to him, ‘Sir, we should like to see Jesus.’ Philip went to tell Andrew, and Andrew and Philip together went to tell Jesus. Jesus replied to them: ‘Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life. If a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too. If anyone serves me, my Father will honor him. Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say: Father, save me from this hour? But it was for this very reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name!’ A voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ People standing by, who heard this, said it was a clap of thunder; others said, ‘It was an angel speaking to him.’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not for my sake that this voice came, but for yours. ‘Now sentence is being passed on this world; now the prince of this world is to be overthrown. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all men to myself.’ By these words he indicated the kind of death he would die.

* In the first reading, Jeremiah urges the Israel to stop following other gods and to start following Yahweh alone.  God, all throughout Israel’s story, has continuously renewed His covenant with His people despite Israel’s continued unfaithfulness.  In His mercy, He has continued to be faithful, forgiving Israel and re-establishing the covenant ever anew.  Israel is His people and He is their God.

* The Responsorial Psalm prays to Yahweh that He might grant the one who prays with a new heart, a heart which knows to follow God alone and no other gods.  The heart continuously looks for someone to love and many a time the choice falls on passing things of no real value.  But when it finds the One, God who is Love, then it looks no more but becomes content as a child in his mother’s embrace.

* In the second reading, the holy writer synthesizes nicely Jesus’ life.  He is the model of Israel because He has ever followed the Will of God, through thick and thin, through suffering and pain, even unto death on the Cross.  Jesus is portrayed in the Letter to the Hebrews as He who has the heart wholly at one with the Heart, with the Love who is God.  His obedience to the Father for all and everything He has done on earth is an example to each and every of us.

* Finally in the Gospel reading, John describes the “Hour” of Jesus as the hour of his ultimate obedience to the Father.  Here John describes how Jesus was obedient to the Father, even unto pain, suffering and death.  Everything the Father commanded, the Son did.  And so the glorification of the Son is great indeed because it is the Father, Himself, who glorifies the Son who did not have His own way but always followed the dispositions of the Father in heaven.

* Obedience is natural to us.  As children we dutifully obey our mothers and fathers, elder brothers and sisters, and grandparents and aunts and uncles.  We do not question, we obey.  As we grow older, questions start to arise from us regarding the commands and requests of our elders.  Sometimes the questions gather to the point of causing disobedience.  But as we grow older and wiser, wisdom and hind sight show us that although our elders are not all-knowing, the motives behind their commands to and choices for us have always been for our betterment.  There are sad exceptions but the general rule is that our elders want the best for us.  So from obedience to disobedience, we learn to obey again.  We have to learn to obey again.  We realize that if we do not obey these who love us, we anyway continue to obey either people who do not really love or do not really care about us, or ourselves, our caprices, who really only care in satisfying their own wants whatever the consequences to us, to you and me.  If we do not obey our betters, if we do not obey God, then we will obey someone or something else.  The former may cause pain and suffering for a little while but then glorification comes, but the latter may offer immediate gratification but later on eternal damnation.  Obedience is natural to us.  But the question is: whom shall we obey?