This week’s Gospel message for Sunday, March 17, 2024 is from 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.”
Reflection
“Witness a grain of wheat . . . planted in soil, it will break open and grow into a plant that dwarfs its original size. This is what Jesus envisions for us. If we are willing to sacrifice our own self-interest, we can act out of love for others, producing much fruit in the garden of the kingdom. Our challenge is to love God and love neighbor more than our own life. What part of myself that I’ve become attached to in a self-centered way can ‘die’ so that I will clear more space in my heart and my schedule for love of neighbor?” SOURCE: Pastoral Patterns, Spring 2024
DAILY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62; John 8:1-11
Tuesday 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a
Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Solemnity) – “According to the gospels, Joseph was a skilled craftsman and a descendant of King David. Matthew’s infancy narrative in particular focuses on Joseph’s dilemma. Embarrassed by Mary’s pregnancy with a child that is not his, Joseph decided to quietly dissolve their marriage contract. But he is told in a dream to take Mary as his wife and make her child his own, and so he became the earthly father of Jesus. His feast has been observed on this day since the tenth century.”
Wednesday Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; John 8:31-42
Thursday Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59
Friday Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42
Saturday Ezekiel 37:21-28; John 11:45-56
SOURCE: Living With Christ, March 2024