Today
is the 5th Sunday of Lent.
Next
Sunday is Palm Sunday already.
Then in
just another week it’s Easter.
Most of
Lent has passed us by.
But we
still have time—about 14 days left.
To keep
up, or to catch up.
Lent is
a time for action.
Spiritual
exercise, good works, service.
It's
often noted as a time for prayer, fasting, and alms giving.
Prayer
is listed first—it’s always a good first step.
As part
of that prayer time, we include contemplation and reflection.
Time to
think about basics, like the purpose of life.
To
think about death—and about resurrection.
We can
find a quiet time and a quiet place,
Acknowledge
that God is there with us.
Say
Hello.
Enter
into thought, and open ourselves to listening.
Maybe
reflect on one of those big questions like,
Why do I
exist?
What am
I doing with my life?
The old
catechism summed it up quite succinctly.
Who
made us? God made us.
Why did
God make us?
God
made us to know, love and serve him in this world.
And to
be happy with him forever in Heaven.
In our
Gospel today, Jesus looks at death and resurrection.
His own
and ours.
He
looks at the purpose of his own life on earth.
He says:
The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
... 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.
... And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself.”
I guess that’s Death and Resurrection, and Ascension too.
We who have heard the Good News
Know about the
resurrection.
We believe
in the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
But,
being human, we're subject to twinges of doubt.
We sometimes
fear, Maybe I'm foolish to believe.
Or we’re
confident that there is a resurrection,
But worry
that we ourselves aren’t going to make it into Heaven.
Or
maybe a loved one isn't going to make it.
Jesus offers
us reassurance and guidance.
He
serves as a perfect example for us.
He looks
to his own death and resurrection.
And
also to his purpose.
His
mission to redeem us.
To
bring us the Good News of our own resurrection.
To show
us the way.
To help
our unbelief.
When Jesus spoke of his coming death, a voice came from
heaven.
And Jesus explained,
This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.
It was to help us believe.
Believe in who he is, in his mission,
In what he accomplished.
Believe that when he was lifted up from the earth,
He did draw everyone to himself.
Death and Resurrection.
It's a
recurring theme throughout our Scripture, and our lives.
Most of us were baptized early in life.
The
water of Baptism is a symbol for washing away original sin.
And of
spiritual life and growth.
But
it’s also a symbol of that death and resurrection.
The
imagery is not so strong in our usual Catholic ceremony
Where
we pour a little water on a person's head as we say
I
Baptize you
In the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The
imagery is much stronger in a full-immersion baptism
Like we
sometimes see in Catholic ceremonies,
And
more often in some Protestant ceremonies.
The
person wades into a river or bay or pool
And is leaned
back until they’re completely submerged,
As if
lost, drowned, dead.
Then
they're raised back up.
Reborn,
resurrected.
This
morning we baptized a new member into the Church,
An
infant, little Olivia Rose Soares.
On Easter, we’ll have three more baptisms.
Two more infants and one adult Catechumen.
As we
rapidly approach the end of Lent,
We
might reflect on our own Baptism.
And on
our own Death and Resurrection
Those
would be good initial topics for
Some
quiet thinking, praying and listening.
Death
and Resurrection mark the endpoint of this life
And the
starting point of the next.
And
deeper focus on them can help us more fully understand
The
answers to those big questions:
Why do I
exist?
Who
made me?
Why did
he make me?
5th Sunday of Lent
