A Homily – John 12:20 – 33 ©

The Gospel According to John – 2018.03.18

Be Mindful of the Propaganda

The Gospel for today strayed far into the field of propaganda and myth.

It is a disservice to the memory of Jesus, who was not killed for the “glory” of God, or to fulfill some divine purpose, he was killed only to suit the petty vanity of small-minded men.

His death was a political murder.

Any suggestion otherwise undermines the truth.

Remember this; the blessings of God, the creator of the universe, God’s blessings are not transactional. Everyone of God’s children, which is everyone of us; all people, in all time, in all places is the subject of God’s love and mercy. There is not a single person left out of the divine plan.

Any suggestion otherwise diminishes the good news.

God, the creator of the universe, does not intervene in the world, in human affairs, like Zeus, or Jupiter or Jove. God is not the Thunderer. Such attestations are a disservice to the faith.

God is not a king, the creator of the universe comes to us as a loving friend, a brother, a sister, a parent, God comes to us in the form of a stranger, the meek and the marginalized, the poor and the hungry.

There is no power in this world other than God. The Gospel writers penned a lie when they wrote about the “prince” of this world, and the sentencing that was coming.

God has no enemy, and the only enmity we face is the enmity we engender, in our own hearts, to our own detriment.

Be mindful of the pitfalls in the sacred text. 

If a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it yields a rich harvest

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 honour 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.

5^th Sunday of Lent