Carmelite homily for Sunday, March 17, 2024 – Lectionary 35 (John 12:20-33) – Fifth Sunday of Lent
When I lived in Chicago I went to a concert at the Newberry Library. All very early Medieval music. And the director of the consort would get up before each song and introduce it and talk about it. Like in ecstasy, “Oh listen for this and listen for that; it’s great and this is wonderful music.” And then they’d play the song. And it was like gobbledygook. I couldn’t understand a thing. It just sounded just like noise. And then she’d introduce the next song. It was more gobbledygook, more noise; and it sounded just like the previous song – to me. Then she’d introduce the next song in ecstasy, “oh, this is going to be beautiful; listen for this and listen for that.” It all sounded the same to me – gobbledygook. I think that’s what’s going on in today’s gospel. These Greeks, and the word is “Hellenoi.” These are Greek Greeks, born in Greece. They are not Jews who speak Greek; or Jews who have gone to Greece; they are Greek Greeks. They know nothing probably of Judaism. But they’ve heard of Jesus and want to see him. So they go to Phillip. Phillip who has a Greek name. Most of the Apostles have Hebrew names. Who then goes to Andrew, who also has a Greek name. All the other Apostles have Hebrew names. They want to see Jesus so they take these Greeks to Jesus. And he says, “unless a grain of wheat dies it will not produce a great harvest; or when the Son of Man is lifted up he will draw all people to himself; or unless you lose your life you will not save it.” This had to be like gobbledygook to these Greeks. They couldn’t understand a thing of what he was saying. But I think the key here is to just take it in. These had to be important passages or they wouldn’t have been included in the gospel. Saint John of the Cross – a very popular image of him – is with his finger in front of his lips as if he were saying, “don’t talk, don’t think, just take in and experience this life; take in Jesus.” He writes, “To reach union with the wisdom of God, one must advance by unknowing rather than knowing.” I think that’s the key here. When we listen to this gospel, we who have been raised Christians have trouble understanding. What is this grain of wheat thing? What is this Son of Man draws everyone when lifted up? What is this lose your life to save it? It really doesn’t make sense. I think it’s a knowing beyond knowing. That’s the call of living with Jesus and living in his love. Saint John of the Cross is right, “To reach union with the wisdom of God, one must advance by unknowing rather than knowing.” Isn’t that love?
