As we draw closer to Holy Week, we hear Jesus talk about His approaching death. Today, Jesus uses the image of a grain of wheat. He says, “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.” Jesus’ message to His disciples is not so much about His death as it is about eternal life. As Christians, we know that as difficult as death is, our true focus—our true hope—is eternal life, trusting that our Lord is our source of eternal salvation. During this final week before Holy Week, let us keep in mind that just as our Lenten journey will not end with Good Friday, but with Easter, so too does our own life’s journey end not in death but in new life.
The most famous quote of Sacred Scripture is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” It is the most important belief in the Christian message. The Holy Spirit draws us here each week to allow us to express our love for God in the way that we worship God and the way that we treat each other. As we enter the Fourth Week of Lent, we are reminded of God’s unparalleled love, mercy, and ultimate purpose for each of us.
On this Third Sunday of Lent, we hear God deliver the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Chosen People. The commandments provide a way for them to live up to their part of the covenant. We face the same challenge today. Lent is a wonderful opportunity to examine our consciences and recall times when we have failed to follow one of God’s commands and determine which one of the commandments we find difficult to obey consistently.
As we continue our Lenten journey, we hear stories of two significant journeys in the history of our faith. First, Abraham travels to a distant land with his son, Isaac, where his devotion and obedience to God will be put to their greatest test. Secondly, Jesus leads His closest disciples up a high mountain where He will be transfigured in glory. As we continue our journey this Lent, may fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, transform us into more loving and devoted disciples of Jesus.
Ashes and rainbows make a strange combination. Ashes are dirty, messy, and ugly. Rainbows, on the other hand, are beautiful and inspiring. We encounter both ashes and rainbows at the beginning of Lent this year. On Ash Wednesday, ashes were put on our foreheads as a sign of our mortality and sinfulness. Today, we hear that God set a rainbow in the sky as a sign of the covenant with us. As we begin this season of Lent, let us recognize both truths: we are always in need of repentance, but God stands ever waiting to forgive us. As ashes reminds us to repent of our sins, may rainbows remind us of God’s eternal forgiveness.