Readings (Year B):
Jeremiah 31:31 – 34
Psalms 51:3 – 4, 12 – 13, 14 – 15
Hebrews 5:7 – 9
John 12:20 – 33
Reflection: Listen for the voice that can give you courage
There are times when the direction of history hangs in the balance, and a word of divine guidance holds fast the thread. January 28, 1956, was such a time. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was at a critical point in the Montgomery bus boycott; he later recalled, “I went to bed many nights scared to death” by violent threats. Amid this trial, Dr. King was awake one morning, in his kitchen, when he heard God’s voice, telling him “Preach the Gospel, stand up for the truth, stand up for righteousness.” After that, he declared, “Since that morning I can stand up without fear…I’m not afraid of anybody.”
In today’s gospel reading we have another hinge-point of history which turned on a divine utterance. I call this “Jesus’ Big Fat Greek Temptation.”
Jesus is in Jerusalem at the start of the week of his passion; death is in the air. And then an alternative appears: “some Greeks” who “wish to see Jesus.” I can imagine what was in the heads of Philip and Andrew: “Master, we have a doorway into the Hellenistic world—esteemed for art, philosophy, and the sciences; you can flee from the opposition here, begin all over again, gain fame and influence.”
Jesus resists this temptation: he knows that his calling matters more than life itself. And yet… he is fully human as he is divine, and Jesus admits “Now my soul is troubled” (In the Greek, “my soul is shaken”).
This is a terrible choice, so Jesus throws out the lifeline of prayer, asking for strength to glorify Abba God through obedience. And a voice replies, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
Onlookers hear these words, and are unsure how to explain the phenomenon: “Was that thunder? An angel?” They know that truth from the invisible realm has manifested in the world of matter.
Like Dr. King after receiving his vision in the kitchen, Jesus is no longer afraid. He is reassured that by his death and resurrection, the powers which cruelly dominate this world will be broken, and humanity will be gathered into God’s embrace.
Let me ask you a personal question: What drives you to do the things you do? If we’re honest, many of us must admit we are driven by others’ expectations, and by our insecurities. Our desires to be recognized, applauded, and liked for superficial reasons—these are our unkind masters.
God’s will for your life is greater than meeting the needs of your ego. God has a unique intention for each one of us, to create the world that God dreams of. Can you hear God speak? In the counsel of a soul friend? In an unexpected circumstance? In the words of scripture, the receiving of the Eucharist, or a still small interior voice?
When your time of testing comes, ask God to guide you—and listen for the voice that can give you courage for your moment of trial.
Click here for an alternative reflection on the readings for Scrutiny Year A.
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