Sunday Gospel Comment

 

Alberic Jacovone OSB

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YEAR B

Jer 31,31-34; Heb 5,7-9; Jn 12,20-33

Greeks in the Gospel? 

Sir, we desire to see Jesus. In today’s Gospel, we hear about some Greeks (Ellenes) who came to the temple of Jerusalem for worship, and approached the apostle who had a Greek name: Philip, saying: ‘Sir, we want to see Jesus’. And Philip together with other apostle with a Greek name, Andrew, presented the request to Jesus. Knowing that all true-blue Jews despised Greeks, with their Hellenistic culture and philosophy, we ask: what is going on? We notice also, that the arrival of the Greeks comes immediately after the description of a tragic realization: as true-blue Jews, the opponents of Jesus angrily admit that the whole world is running after Jesus, and decide that he must be gotten rid of. In this climate, Jesus responds that now his hour has come: now he must be lifted up on the Cross - die like a grain of wheat in the ground - & give life in abundance. John’s Gospel is full of people who flock to see Jesus and slowly learn to recognize things with the eyes of faith. At the beginning, we meet two disciples (one of them is Andrew) who follow Jesus & ask: Where do you live? Then Simian-Peter and then Philip enter. Then comes Nicodemus by night -followed by the Centurion, the Samaritan woman, the man born blind, Lazarus Martha & Mary - the woman caught in adultery... But the Story of the Greeks is special, as it stands to represent the millions of non-Jewish people, all Gentile & or ethnic from pagan religions (Goyim). As such all were considered outside "our group", with all the divisive, exclusive, negative, spiteful connotations that the situation required. Since the time of the those Greeks, millions of Christians have expressed their longing for God as a strong desire to know - to see - to meet - to converse & commune with - to love and follow Jesus, who is our: Lord - Saviour - teacher - guide - High Priest - Temple, Bread of life - companion - judge. In every age, the person of Jesus has made a immense difference in the lives of millions and still today it continues to impact strongly on people, irrespective of: age culture, political persuasion, social status, education etc. Indeed, those who tried to wipe out his memory, ended up adding to his greatness; those who showed superficial curiosity were baffled & fascinated by the loftiness of his person.

Discover the face of Jesus. Today’s liturgy invites us, to share with those Greeks in the Gospel, the longing and the excitement of ‘seeing the Lord’. In this day and age, we are challenged to live out our logic of faith. It is our task to seek, discover and radiate the face of Jesus, responding with grateful heart - remaining in communion - and inviting every person of good will to come to the Lord and live in intimacy with God in Christ through the Spirit. At the close of the Jubilee Year 2000, Pope John Paul issued a moving document called "Novo Millennio Ineunte ( At the beginning of a New Millennium), in which he quotes today’s story of the Greeks who asked Philip to see Jesus (Jn 12,21), and invites all men & women of our day to contemplate the Face of Jesus and literally show to everyone the beauty and radiance of Jesus’, as it shines out in the Gospels - the witness of our of faith - as it is shrouded in God’s mystery - as the face of God’s only-begotten Son - as the sorrowful face disfigured by our ingratitude - and as the radiating face of our Risen Lord. This contemplation will in turn express itself in our life of holiness: through Reconciliation, Eucharist, Liturgy and through group and personal prayer: this in turn will generate a spirituality of communion.

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