The readings of Lent are specifically prepared for the sake of catechumens who are preparing themselves to become full members of the Church, and to help them to understand the faith which they are going to embrace. When it comes to the fifth Sunday of Lent, the catechumens will be ready to understand the Mystery of the Cross. Today’s readings prepare the catechumen and also all of us for the forthcoming events of Easter: the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. We may not be able to grasp the depth of this Mystery, yet, in His mercy, God grants us the needed understanding to accept it wholeheartedly.
In the Gospel, we see some Greeks coming to the disciples to be introduced to Jesus. Like the catechumens, they wanted to see Jesus and they requested the help of his disciples. Jesus’ answer to them seems to be very strange. A little deeper analysis will tell us that Jesus gave them the right answer. In different words, Jesus said to them that if they really wanted to see Him, then let them see Him on the Cross. It is Jesus on the Cross, obediently fulfilling His Father’s will that becomes the source of our salvation. The Cross of Christ becomes the symbol of the real Christian faith.
The letter to the Hebrews emphasizes our response to the Easter mystery. It is through our obedience to God that we secure our salvation. For us, Jesus serves as a perfect example of this divine obedience. The catechumens might think that it is almost impossible to discern the will of God and to fulfill His laws in one’s life. But the reading from the prophet Jeremiah seems to comfort them. God’s laws are now written deep into our hearts. Moreover, the spirit of Christ will help us to live these laws of God.
It is through the grace given us by the Crucified and the Risen Lord that we pledge our commitment to God.
– Fr. Ranjan D’Sa OCD