Putting to death all that separates us from God

Mar 15, 2024

5th Sunday of Lent (B)
Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34;
Hebrews 5:7-9;
Gospel: John 12:20-33

If we were to tell someone the words of Christ from today’s Gospel regarding life and death, they would probably think that we have gone off the deep end. Imagine telling a non-Christian that, in a quote from the movie John Wick 4, “One who clings to life, dies and one who clings to death, lives.” What kind of reaction would we get? To someone who clings to the things of this world, this sentence will never make sense. Yet this is what Jesus is telling us today when He said that unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground, it remains but a grain of wheat but if it falls and dies, then it will yield an abundant harvest.

In the age where humanity is trying to extend their own life span, there is always talk of prolonging life. The thing is - humanity is fixated on living longer and longer and clinging on to this life on earth. However, my question would be – even if we live to be a thousand years old, what would our life mean, if it had no purpose? After all, wanting to live as long as possible can indicate either one wanting to enjoy life as much as possible or one wanting to help others as long as one can. No matter how we try, we know our bodies are finite and it will start to break down eventually. Naturally, we can never escape the clutches of death.

When Jesus talks about the death of the grain, that is referring to us, He is not referring to our physical bodies but rather, to our sinful nature. We all know that all of us are weak and are prone to falling into sin. Sin is not just about offending God; sin is also a wilful separation from His love and from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Sin is never personal, no matter how we try to justify them. It will affect others around us, directly or indirectly. It is our inclination to sin that we need to put to death. Of course, it is always easier said than done but we are called to try our best.

When we cling too much to our life in this world, there will always be the danger of losing ourselves to this world. There are so many things that can occupy our minds and hearts and easily take us away from God. The most dangerous thought would be, “I can handle it.” That is pride talking, and that will be the starting point of our fall. As long as our focus is on the world, we will not be able to die to ourselves. If our focus is on God and His kingdom, then we will certainly make more effort to put to death all that separates us from God, not out of fear of punishment but for the love of God and neighbour.

When we put to death our inclination towards sin and our desires for temporal gain and pleasures, what gives us life is no longer the things of this world - which will eventually pass on - but the things of God. Virtues like compassion, love, kindness and selflessness will replace vices like jealousy, envy, greed and selfishness. Virtues centre our life on God and we begin to depend on His grace to live our daily lives. Vices, on the other hand, centre on ourselves and we begin to depend on the things of this world.

A grain that falls to the ground and dies will yield its fruit. So it is with us who put all that is not of God in us to death. As Jesus said, a good tree will bear good fruit. If our roots are in this world and find nourishment from them, then we will only bear the fruits suitable for this world. If our roots are in God, then our fruits will be those that are pleasing to God and beneficial to all people. That is how we can measure the effectiveness of our Christian life. We can pray and receive the Sacraments, but if it does not change us to be more like Christ, then we seriously need to examine ourselves and see which part of our life needs to be put to death. We will not be able to put to death everything in us that is not of God, it is a lifetime journey and even at the end of our life, we may not be fully purged. Which is why further purification is done in Purgatory. However, in the words of St Teresa of Calcutta, we are not called to be successful, we are called to be faithful. With God’s grace, let us continue to be faithful to God and not to this world.