Sunday March 17th: May we all be one

“Now the hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified.”

John 12:20-30

In today’s Gospel, we see foreigners coming up to Jerusalem to worship, and they encounter Philip and Andrew who take them to Jesus – the living God – who proclaims that the hour of glorification has come. Jesus identifies this hour of glorification with the coming together of two races – Jews and Greeks.
Jesus must have been so happy to see his disciples go beyond themselves in the service of strangers, to see them put aside any prejudice and to be true servants of the other, inviting all peoples to worship together in spirit and truth. Christ died to draw all peoples to himself and to make us one, as He and the Father are one.
The world today is longing for unity and peace. As we continue our Lenten journey, let us recall the letter to the Ephesians which says that Christ is our peace who has broken down every wall of hostility that divided peoples, and let us give true glory to God by always striving for unity and peace.