Today, the fifth Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis reflected from the Apostolic Library on today’s Gospel according to John, and calls us to sow the seeds of love “not with words that are blown by the wind, but with concrete, simple and courageous words. Examples.”
Miria Bonilla – Vatican
The Apostle John today relates an incident that occurred in the last days of Christ’s life, shortly before his suffering: While Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate Easter, some Greeks, filled with curiosity about what he was doing, expressed their desire to see him. They approached the Apostle Phillips and said, “We want to see Jesus.” Felipe tells Andres then they go together to tell the master. Pope Francis stressed this afternoon before the prayer of the Marian Angelos, that in the petition of these Greeks “you can see the supplication that many men and women address, in all places and times, to the Church and also to each of us”: We want to see Jesus.
The Holy Father immediately asked: How does Jesus respond to this request? He replied, “In a way that leads to thinking. It is like this:” The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified […] If the grain of wheat does not fall to the ground and dies, then it remains alone; But if he dies, it bears many fruits. ”Francis notes that these words“ do not seem to respond to the request made by these Greeks ”because in reality they“ go further. ”In fact, the Pope asserts that“ Jesus reveals that, Every person wants to search for it, it is the hidden seed ready for death to bear many fruits, “as if to say: The grain of wheat that died on the ground, look at the cross.”
The cross is like a “tree of life”
Francis also stopped contemplating the sign of the cross, reminding that over the centuries it had “become a motto par excellence for Christians.” In fact – he says – “whoever wants to” see Jesus today also “might come from countries and cultures where little is known about Christianity, so what do they see in the first place? What is the most common sign that you find? The cross.” The Pope explains that the cross is found in churches, in the homes of Christians, and even on one’s body, but the most important thing is “that the sign is compatible with the Gospel: the cross can only express love and service, surrender without reservation: only in this way is a tree.” Life, extra life.
Christian responsibility
“Many people, often without saying it implicitly, wish to“ see Jesus, ”meet him, and know him,” continues the Pope, which is why it is important to understand the great responsibility of Christians and our societies: “We must also respond with the testimony of the life that is offered in the service. A life that takes God’s way, closeness and mercy, that is donated in service. ” It revolves around – and emphasizes – “to sow the seeds of love not in words that are blown by the wind, but in concrete, simple and courageous examples”, “not with condemnations of hate but with gestures of love.” Francis asserts that God, by His grace, “makes us bear fruit, even when the earth is barren due to misunderstanding, difficulties and persecution, legal or moral claims.”
Finally, remember that in experience and precisely in solitude, as the seed dies, “life sprouts to bear fruit ripe in time” and in this network of death and life we can experience joy and happiness. The fruits of love, “and he repeats again:” Which are given according to God’s manner: closeness, mercy, and tenderness. “
