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Gospel: John 12: 20-33
Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast
came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee,
and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”
Philip went and told Andrew;
then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
Jesus answered them,
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
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.
“I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?
‘Father, save me from this hour’?
But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name.”
Then a voice came from heaven,
“I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”
The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder;
but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
Jesus answered and said,
“This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.
Now is the time of judgment on this world;
now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself.”
He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Once upon a time, in a world before COVID, four pizzerias opened up on the same block in New York City.
Determined to win the lion share of customers, the first pizzeria posted a sign on their door promising, “The best pizza in the city!”
The second upped the ante, promising, “The best pizza in the country!”
The third promised, “The best pizza in the world!”
But the fourth pizzeria simply promised, “The best pizza on the block.”
That pizzeria remains in business today. The other three closed. New Yorkers appreciate the realism.
***
Jesus offers that same type of realism. Sometimes we need to swallow hard and difficult truths in order to follow him, becoming the best version of ourselves.
So, what truths does he tell?
“The greatest among you must be your servant.” … “The one who humbles himself will be exalted.” … “Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
And, in today’s Gospel, “Die in order to live.”
“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,” Jesus says, “it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”
What does he mean?
A surface level reading of this passage seems grim – one must die in order to live. Perhaps we can consider his words from a different angle: one must give in order to live.
“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and gives itself away, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it gives itself to the earth, then it bears much fruit.”
This mysterious truth – offering oneself for the good of others – is written into all of creation.
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For example, the sun does not shine on itself; it gives its light away, warming and brightening the earth.
Trees do not eat their own fruit; they offer it for others. Meanwhile their leaves cast shadows, offering others shade from the noonday heat.
Rivers do not drink their own water; flowers release their fragrance; birds chirp to our delight.
Living for others is a rule of nature.
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The same truth applies to humanity. We were created to love and serve one another. The more we do, the happier we become.
Consider this in the context of parenting.
The more time we spend with our children, the happier we – and they – become.
Children remember the number of their soccer games you attend; the number of books you read to them at night; the affirmation they feel when you say you love them or are proud of them; and even the night you hold them tight after their first teenage breakup.
The more time you spend with your family, the happier you become.
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The same is true in marriage.
The happiest couples live in a world of “we,” not “me.”
You may remember that famous quote from Romeo and Juliet. One evening while standing on her balcony, a young Juliet gazes down upon Romeo and says, “Romeo, the more I give to you, the more I seem to have.”
The more I give, the more I have.
It’s that same law of nature Jesus is speaking about in today’s Gospel. It’s in denying herself – or, better said, it’s in giving herself to Romeo – that Juliet finds her happiness.
She lives in a world of “we,” not “me.”
The same truth applies to priesthood; to friendship; to faith; and to any other relationship in life. The more we give ourselves away, the happier we become.
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It’s a truth Christ embodied throughout his life.
He’s spent the last three years in ministry healing the sick, serving the poor, and forgiving those caught in sin. Now the time has come for Jesus to offer himself on the cross.
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” he says. Jesus has nothing left to give but his very own Body and Blood.
“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies – if it gives itself away – then it produces much fruit.”
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How do I give myself away in my marriage? As a parent? A priest? A sibling? A friend?
How am I a gift to others?
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Four pizzerias opened within arm’s reach of each other. One promised the best pizza in the city; another the best pizza in the country; another the best pizza in the world.
The fourth simply promised, “The best pizza on the block.” That pizzeria remains open. New Yorkers appreciate the realism.
Similarly, Jesus is upfront about what it takes to follow him.
Like the sun shining brightly, a tree in full bloom, or a grain of wheat driven into the ground, we fulfill our nature when we give ourselves away.
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