The Hour Has Come
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
John 12:20–33
Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast 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 is for this reason 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 benefit 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 was going to die.
Grace Prayed For
The grace to trust that what feels like loss in my life is, in God’s hands, the condition for bearing lasting fruit.
Reflection
Greeks arrive seeking Jesus. Gentiles at the edges of the story, curious, reaching. And it is their arrival—this small gesture of spiritual longing from the periphery—that prompts Jesus to announce what He has been moving toward the entire Gospel: “The hour has come.” The mission of going to the ends of the earth begins with the grain of wheat that falls.
We are in Week Five: Empowerment. We have been discovering our spiritual gifts, recognizing our charisms, learning to exercise them for the building up of the Body. But today Jesus reminds us where all genuine empowerment originates. It does not come from technique or talent alone. It comes from death and resurrection. It comes from the cross.
“I am troubled now.” This is one of the most humanly honest moments in the Gospel of John. Jesus does not perform tranquility. He acknowledges that He is shaken, disturbed, facing something His whole human nature recoils from. And then He asks a question He immediately answers: “What should I say? Father, save me from this hour? But it is for this reason that I came to this hour.”
This is the cost of mission: not finding a way around the cross but discovering that the cross is the way. The grain of wheat does not produce fruit despite dying; it produces fruit by dying. There is a “much fruit” that is only available on the far side of surrender—surrender of comfort, surrender of control, surrender of the life we have managed and protected.
When the Father’s voice comes from heaven, the crowd hears thunder. Others say an angel spoke. But the voice was not for Jesus. He says so plainly: “This voice did not come for my benefit but for yours.” The Father affirms the Son’s path—not as punishment but as glorification—and He does it publicly, so we can hear it.
“When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” This is the ultimate empowerment of our mission: it is not we who draw people to God; it is the crucified and risen Christ who draws them. We are the grain of wheat, yes. But the harvest belongs to Him.
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Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post