Jer. 31:31-34; Ps. 51:3-4, 12-15; Heb. 5:7-9; Jn. 12:20-33
“Father, glorify your name.” Jesus gives us a testimony of how we are to face the adversities in our life. Knowing he is about to be condemned and crucified, Jesus tells his disciples he cannot say “Father, save me”. It was for this purpose that he came to die for us. When we find ourselves having to face a hardship, we pray that the Lord will save us from this hour. Jesus shows us instead to pray, “Father, glorify your name.” We are to give it to the Father and wait for the Lord to use that circumstance to show us the power and glory of his name that we too may be lifted up by his glory.
To pray, “Father, glorify your name” is to trust in the Lord, to be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to let go and let God. We deny ourselves a miracle when we want to take control and let our will be done instead of his. Jesus was lifted up to be glorified by his death and resurrection. Now it is our turn to be a “grain of wheat” and produce the fruit that will last for eternal life. Dying to oneself is not a onetime event but a series of daily occurrences when we make a sacrifice of ourselves for the good of the other. The Lord will glorify himself in us as we come to serve him, that is in imitation of Christ.
This Lent is our call to pray to the Father that he will glorify himself in us, in our testimony by the way we live our lives, by the sacrifice we make in his name, by the charity of our self-giving service to others. Lent is a season to refocus our priorities in what matters most to God. What is not on his list is often the desires we seek in a material world. What matters most to God is our relationship with him and with others.
The longer we live it seems the faster time passes and our days come quickly to an end. What time have we made for our God? Lent is a reminder to pray a little more, read a little more scripture, give a little more in service, sacrifice a little more for what is pleasing to the Lord. The world in its wisdom will tell you to “save for a rainy day” and invest for the future. The future is eternity and our investment needs to be on what matters most to God that our lives may glorify his name. What is our offering this Lent to the Lord?
The Lord Jesus offered “prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears” but who is he praying for, himself or us? He prayed that we may not be overcome by the evil one. The son became obedient and that is how our prayers are answered. We are to pray always but we also are to always be obedient to the Father, in his commandments. Our obedience will create a clean heart. The law of God in the heart comes from obedience to the commandments and by coming to receive the sacraments that nourish and strengthen the soul. In the sacramental life we gain a clean heart and are made perfect.
God’s perfection is not about us never having made a mistake, or had all the right answers, or had a perfect batting average. God’s perfection is about our life-giving glory to his name. This is how we will know him, the one true God as he reveals himself in our heart from the “least to the greatest”. The least is the infant child brought to the waters of baptism where God gives himself to them with the gift of the Holy Spirit. The greatest is the one who calls out to God for mercy coming to repentance and reconciliation in confession. Like the parable known as the prodigal son, our Father in heaven is rejoicing when we return to him having repented for our sins.
Today in the gospel Jesus tells us that he will be lifted up from the earth and he will “draw everyone to himself”. Jesus will be lifted up on the cross to die for us and in dying he becomes the new covenant of the law. This is the fulfillment of the prophesy we hear in the first reading by Jeremiah. Jesus is the new covenant who comes into our hearts and makes all things new for us. Today we are to welcome him into our hearts and make our lives a temple that he may dwell within us. Jesus was also lifted up from the earth in his ascension from this world. Just as he was lifted up, he will return to lift us up to himself. Let us prepare and be ready for this day recalling that our earthly days are numbered and coming to an end.
What do we live for? We live to be lifted up with Jesus, sometimes in our suffering and sometimes in our joy so as we live, and die may we glorify the Lord.
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