Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation of those mighty acts, whereby you have given us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 71:1-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; John 12:20-36
(From The Lectionary Page)

"Sir, we wish to see Jesus." A simple statement from the Greeks - part inquiry, part plea. In a few famous pulpits around the world, this verse is inscribed into the desk where the preacher places his or her sermon text. These words express the desire of our own hearts, and the hunger of the world. It is the call of baptism, both to seek Jesus and to live as one who brings others to see the Lord.

In this passage Jesus then predicts his Passion, how his death will bear much fruit and glorify his heavenly Father when he is lifted up from the earth. As a teen I attended a retreat where a meditation on how a grain of wheat must die in order to bear fruit planted in me the call to the priesthood. The Church is never more fruitful than when we intentionally chose to die to our collective self and engage in sacrificial servanthood. In my own life, when I go through dry seasons, feeling less connected to God, it is usually because I have not been attentive to the call to serve. The Passion places before us the truth that there is no higher calling than to be a servant. Christ himself has modeled that servanthood for us.

St. John often includes in his description of a scene filled with main characters, how others can be found looking on from the edges, ready to comment upon and criticize what our Lord says or does. In this account, "the crowd" asks questions, which lack the odor of opposition that is found in the questions of the chief priests. These questions are understandable, and for most of us, are familiar. When the crowd - and we - ask, "How?" and "Who?", Jesus responds by inviting us to walk with the light, where nothing is hidden, where darkness is banished. This means to leave behind death in all its forms, so that, like Lazarus, we might be raised from corruption and walk in the light of new life.

In this Great Week, one cannot help but connect the Lord's invitation to walk in the light with walking the way of the Cross, for many answers are found in the mighty acts we experience in this week. Indeed, as we walk the Way of the Cross, darkness is dispelled, and new life is found.

Daily we are asked, "Sir/Madam, we wish to see Jesus." The world awaits our response.

Let us pray.

O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.