Fifth Sunday of Lent

Gospel of Saint John 12:20-30

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

Jesus is saying in John 12:23-26 that only by death comes life. A paradox. It is because people have been prepared to die that the great things in history have happened. It is only when a person buries their personal aims and ambitions that he or she begins to be of real use to God.

 This Gospel poses a terrible paradox in an acquisitive society. Very often it is through suffering that we experience life. We are moulded and shaped through suffering. We are being directly challenged about what we have and what we need. It should cause us to pause and think. (Martin Tierney)