His Saving Grace

“ Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.”

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34

The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer will they have need to teach their friends and kinsmen how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.

Resp. Psalm: Psalms 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15

Second Reading: Heb. 5:7-9

In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death,  and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,

Gospel: John 12:20-33

Now there were some Greeks  among those who had come up to worship at the feast.They 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 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." The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

Reflection:

By Grace Madriñan
“I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD”  -- 1 Jeremiah 31:31-34

I love these lines from today’s readings because it gives me the ultimate picture of how God envisions His people to know Him – that we will know the Lord in a more intimate way, a more personal relationship. Not just based on what was taught in school or what someone told us. But because we encountered Him first hand and have witnessed His Saving Grace.

Growing up, we may have heard about Him from our parents, from the Church or from school. We go to Mass, heard the homily and do our good deeds to charity once in a while. We learned about God listening to friends and shared with them in their joys and sorrows. But only when it goes beyond our normal routine that we can really know Him. Most of the time, it is during trials, depression and confusion.

Only when we are at our lowest do we begin to dig deeper. Only when we are faced with questions that are beyond human knowledge, that we begin to seek His wisdom. Only when we are at a loss, that we begin to seek for something or Someone to fill us up.

And God is on His feet, more than ever. Once He knew we are already listening, that is the best time He re-introduced Himself.

Prayer

Father, You have introduced Yourself to us in so many ways yet we are caught up in monotony that we do not know You personally, the way You wanted to. Continue to reveal Yourself us daily in our joys and sorrows. Amen.