From the Angelus
message of John Paul II for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 16th,
1997
“When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”
“In the Gospel for this Fifth Sunday of Lent, Jesus
illustrates the meaning of his death by using the image of a grain of wheat
which, by dying, bears much fruit (cf. Jn
12:24).”
“The idea for this reflection was offered by the fact that
among the crowds who had come to meet him as he drew near to Jerusalem were
some foreigners, Greeks to be precise, who told the Apostles of their desire to
see him: “We wish to see Jesus” (Jn
12:21). With these words, in a way, they become the spokesmen of all
humanity, highlighting the universal value of the salvation offered by Christ.”
“We wish to see Jesus! Even today this is the cry humanity
raises to Christ’s disciples, asking them to show his divine face in their life
and works. We accept this with trepidation, knowing, as the Apostle Paul says,
that we carry a treasure in “earthen vessels” (2 Cor 4:7)."
“We know that Christian history, though rich in holiness,
also records great human frailty. The Council observed that it is often the
inconsistency of believers which is an obstacle on the path of those who seek
the Lord (cf. Gaudium et spes, n. 19). This
is why the Church’s path towards the third millennium must be a serious journey
of conversion, an effort of personal and community renewal in the light of the
Gospel… The more Christ can be seen in our lives, the more he will show that
irresistible attraction which he himself foretold when he spoke of his death on
the Cross: “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself”
(Jn 12:32)."
Comments
Post a Comment