How many of you watched the State Hockey Tournament? Very exciting time for all – even when your team isn’t playing…. I have to do a shout out to Cathedral HS who won the state championship! But indeed it’s a dream for any hockey player in the state to get to that tournament… really any athlete’s goal is state. And we’ve seen the phenomenal play of Caitlin Clark of Iowa’s BB team – everyone is wanting to watch.
We are all spectators as we engage in those games. However, when it comes to our faith we are NOT called to be spectators, but players. No one rides the bench! Being on God’s Team can be a wild ride and as we continue to travel this Lenten journey – as we will sing in the last song…. Onward to the Kingdom.
We also celebrate St. Patrick today – one funny story – my nephew’s name is Patrick and when his 4 year old sister Ella Bea heard about St. Patrick’s Day she started crying. My brother-in-law said, “ Ella, what’s wrong?” She responded “ Why does he get a whole day and I don’t?” Those named after Saints do get a little bit of an advantage don’t they!
And speaking of advantage….. today’s Gospel reading takes us to heart of the message of who Jesus is. Many will say if there is one scripture reading to understand what Jesus is about, this is it. It’s from the Gospel of John and has Jesus sharing “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
And we are going to see an increase in intensity as we walk the next few weeks. Many are challenging Jesus – and his apostles. Who is this guy? And now he is talking about dying and eternal life…. What in the world? We must stop him.
Speaking of another saint – St. Oscar Romero who some of you heard about a few weeks ago as I shared about his life and my time in El Salvador where he ministered. It was in the 1980’s when there was a Civil War happening. He was a voice for those who had no voice and the government had him on their ‘hit’ list for inciting the people. Imagine the words of the gospel shared by a priest making the government fearful. Sounds like our scenario with Jesus and his upcoming crucifixion. And the crazy thing is that Archbishop Romero’s last homily was this passage about a grain of wheat falling to the earth and dying so that it could bear fruit…. After he preached those words he was shot to death. But his influence and spirit lived on in his people – and still does today.
Daryl Dash, an Evangelical Pastor, recently wrote in a commentary on this passage..
Jesus is compelling not because of what he accomplished in his life — as great as it was — but because of what he accomplished by his death and resurrection.
· He had no military, political, or financial power.
· The only followers he scraped together were peasants.
· He was executed in his thirties, probably at the age of 37.
· He was penniless when he is killed. His only possession, a robe, was taken away from him when he was killed.
· At the very end, he was abandoned by his friends and seemingly by God as well
However, by dying, Jesus revealed the operating system of the universe, by dying, Jesus brought God glory and by dying, Jesus judged the world and defeated the evil.
Our operating system talks about a God who is distant and far off, a God who is NOT in control because WE are and a path to fulfillment that says if we have STUFF we’ll be happy. Whoever loves their life – their ego , their stuff – will lose it. What are we hanging onto?
This is where the cross comes in. What is mostly seen as an instrument of torture and humiliation was seen as a way to overcome evil for GOOD. The cross actually brought God GLORY! The cross brought about the love and mercy of God. How disappointing for all those seeking Jesus’ end.
But there is no end with Jesus. We know the full story and that resurrection happens. He died to reveal what’s wrong with the world and to fix it by loving God and neighbor and self in ways that bring LIFE to others. Whoever loves themselves less will have eternal life…
We have a few weeks left of Lent. If you feel like you have failed in your attempts at fasting, praying and almsgiving – get back up, regroup and get back on track. Don’t be a spectator. We have too many people standing around watching. We are called to bring the message of death and resurrection forward to offer light , love and hope to a community in need. Someone once said, “If you’re not standing on the edge, you’re taking up too much room.” What will you do to honor this amazing sacrifice of Jesus for us all?