FIRST READING
2 Corinthians 9:6-10
Brothers and sisters:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written:
He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.
The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commands. His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth; the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice; He shall never be moved; the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
An evil report he shall not fear; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear till he looks down upon his foes.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Lavishly he gives to the poor, his generosity shall endure forever; his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
ALLELUIA
John 8:12bc
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
John 12:24-26
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, 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. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.”
REFLECTIONS:
What can a grain of wheat tell us about life and
the kingdom of God? Jesus drew his parables from the common everyday
circumstances of life. His audience, mostly rural folk in Palestine, could
easily understand the principle of new life produced by dead seeds sown
into the earth. What is the spiritual analogy which Jesus alludes to? Is
this, perhaps, a veiled reference to his own impending death on the cross
and his resurrection on the third day? Or does he have another kind of
"death and rebirth" in mind for his disciples? Jesus, no doubt, had both
meanings in mind for his disciples. The image of the grain of wheat dying
in the earth in order to grow and bear a harvest can be seen as a metaphor
of Jesus' own death and burial in the tomb and his resurrection. Jesus
knew that the only way to victory over the power of sin and death was through
the cross. Jesus reversed the curse of our first parents' [Adam and Eve]
disobedience through his obedience to the Father's will his willingness
to go to the cross to pay the just penalty for our sins and to defeat death
once and for all. His obedience and death on the cross obtain for us freedom
and new life in the Holy Spirit. His cross frees us from the tyranny of
sin and death and shows us the way of perfect love. There is a great paradox
here. Death leads to life. When we "die" to our selves, we "rise" to new
life in Jesus Christ.
What does it mean to "die" to oneself? It certainly means that what
is contrary to God's will must be "crucified" or "put to death". God gives
us grace to say "yes" to his will and to reject whatever is contrary to
his loving plan for our lives. Jesus also promises that we will bear much
"fruit" for him, if we choose to deny ourselves for his sake. Jesus used
forceful language to describe the kind of self-denial he had in mind for
his disciples. What did he mean when he said that one must hate himself?
The expression to hate something often meant to prefer less. Jesus says
that nothing should get in the way of our preferring him and the will of
our Father in heaven. Our hope is in Paul's reminder that "What
is sown in the earth is subject to decay, what rises is incorruptible"
(1
Corinthians 15:42). Do you hope in the Lord and follow joyfully the path
he has chosen for you?
"Lord Jesus, let me be wheat sown in the earth, to be harvested for
you. I want to follow wherever you lead me. Give me fresh hope and joy
in serving you all the days of my life."
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