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 shall 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.” 

 

John 12:20-33;

 

 

We have many expressions that use “dying” but we don’t really mean that we “die.”  For example, we might exclaim, “I’m dying for some chocolate” or “I just died when she said that” or “It just kills me when I have to ….. “  When Jesus speaks of dying, however, he really means it.

 

We tend to think of Jesus’ dying in terms of his death on the cross.  In fact, the cross is a summary of his whole life of dying to self for the good of others.  Jesus always practiced what he preached in this Sunday’s gospel.  He continually died to himself when he reached out to sinners and outcasts, when he stood up to those who were threatening him, when he was frustrated with his close friends but didn’t terminate the relationship. 

 

Dying to self defines followers of Jesus, and this must characterize our daily living.  What renders us capable of such dying to self is, first, the realization that Jesus himself embraced this dying even though it was difficult; and, second, that Jesus showed us that new life only comes through this dying to self.  The more we align ourselves with Jesus as his followers, the more are we aware that his “law” of dying to self is written deeply in our hearts.

 

Living Liturgy 2009