Fifth Sunday of Lent (Passion Sunday)

The story is told about a coach who was known far and wide for his wisdom, both on and off the field. At one time, he was asked in an interview about how he gained his reputation for wisdom.

“Good judgment,” he said.

“And how did you acquire your good judgment?”

“From experience,” he answered.

“And where did you get your experience?”

“Bad judgment,” he replied.

It’s a mistake to bemoan our imperfections. It’s not only prisoners who are graduates of the “school of hard knocks.” We all are. If we possess any wisdom at all in this life, it comes, not from books and theories, but from failure. Take the aphorism, “practice makes perfect.” What does “practice” mean, if not that we need to keep failing until we learn to get it right? We’re inclined to believe that failure is a tragedy unless, at some point, we come to understand that failure is the one and only path to success.

In our Wednesday night talks, we’ve come to see that our limitations are not shameful. They create our unique identities. They make us who we are. And even more than that: our limitations, our faults and failings, even our sins are the source of our future potential. How we deal with them is the critical factor that determines who we will become.

Think about it. Without limitations, there could be no growth. Without ignorance, there could be no wisdom. Without falsehood, there could be no truth. Without evil, there could be no goodness. Without indifference, there could be no love. Without death, there could be no life. “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.

Life is the school for love, and the Satan, the angelic prosecuting attorney, as a good teacher, makes sure that as we grow in wisdom and grace, our lessons become harder – more advanced – more challenging. We are beings endowed with free will, and we have the choice of facing our own life lessons and maturing or refusing them and stagnating. Yet life comes with a warning: if we choose to ignore its lessons out of fear of failure, they will keep returning to us over and over again until we finally get the message. “Whoever loves his life…” as it is and refuses to accept its challenges to grow… “loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world…” and accepts the risk of failure to grow and mature… “will preserve it for eternal life.”

Don’t think that Jesus came to make life’s road any easier. When we say that Christ died for us, that doesn’t mean that he died in place of us. Remember that the Letter to the Hebrews calls Jesus our “pioneer.” He is our eternal trail-blazer. He shows us the way, but we must follow. Just as Jesus, the suffering servant, was obedient to the will of his Father and surrendered his own doubts and fears – facing failure head-on – so we are also called to surrender the doubts and fears of our own egos and become faithful servants as he did. For, “whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.”

Fear of failure avails us nothing. “Now is the time of judgment on this world.” We will not be judged on our successes and failures, but on the quality of our service. Are we, at last, willing to accept the challenges that life puts before us, or not? “Serving Jesus” means being “lifted up” as he was: lifted up on the cross and lifted up into the fulness of life. Like the cross, Satan’s obstacles are overcome, not by strength or expertise, or even will power, but by faith and courage. “Now is the ruler of this world” – a world of challenges and limitations and failures –“driven out.”

We honor the cross and Christ crucified because he has shown us the way through to victory – and not only shown us the way but opened it up for us.

Next Sunday, Palm Sunday, we’ll hear the so-called “Kenotic Hymn” from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Unfortunately, it will be overshadowed by the drama of the reading of Christ’s Passion. Yet, it serves as a fitting conclusion to our meditation of this morning’s gospel. So let’s listen to it carefully now:

Your attitude must be that of Christ:

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God
    something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
    taking the form of a slave,
    coming in human likeness;
    and found human in appearance,
    he humbled himself,
    becoming obedient to the point of death,
    even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
    and bestowed on him the name
    which is above every name,
    that at the name of Jesus
    every knee should bend,
    of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,    
    and every tongue confess that
    Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.