Father Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Lent B
March 17, 2024 John: 20-33, March 17, 2024
Fifth Sunday of Lent | USCCB
No Greater Love
We are entering into the most brutal two weeks of Jesus’s life as we pray over the gospel readings at Mass. Hear the agony in His heart: “I am troubled now. Yet, what should I say, ‘Father, save me from this hour?’” Then, in the next breath, He can only think of us: “But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.”
Jesus saw the face of every human being and embraced the pain and suffering their sins caused them and others. He knew in His heart that only His sacrificial love could save us from ourselves.
When I sat in prayer with Him and welcomed His selfless love in my heart, I immediately saw the faces. I reflected on the stories of many husbands and wives who sacrifice themselves daily for their spouses. Many times, I am honored to visit them and give them the strength of the Sacrament of the Sick and, when near death, the Last Blessing of the Church.
As I anoint the one who is ill, I feel the Lord telling me to anoint their spouse, the caregiver. Every day, they use up every ounce of their strength without even thinking about it because so much love fills their hearts. You may know some folks who love this much that no sacrifice is too great.
I want you to know that Jesus is in every word they speak and the meal they prepare and help their spouse eat. I couldn’t help but think of you as we enter the final week of Lent.
I encourage you to reflect on the Gospels read at each daily Mass this week. Take note of how people’s tension and hatred for Jesus grew with each encounter, especially with scribes and Pharisees. But it doesn’t phase Jesus because He only wants to please His Father.
Jesus didn’t want His Father to save Him from His cruel death. He called it an hour of glory, and I think I know why. Like the husband and wife taking care of their ill spouse, sometimes for years, Jesus is not thinking about himself but us. When your heart is so full of love for someone, nothing is a sacrifice but always an act of pure love. Selfless love outdoes all sacrifices. The early Fathers of the Church had a pet saying about sacrificial love. “The glory of God is man fully alive.”
Gospel Challenge:
Look around you and see who loves Jesus with all their heart in someone suffering. Be like the Greeks who came to Philip and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” We know where to find Him.
Now, consider when people see Jesus in you.
