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5/15 - 5th Sunday of Easter
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Claiming glory on Christ’s terms
On February 25, 2004, Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of the Christ, was released to hostile reviews but strong audiences. It was soon the highest grossing ‘Christian film’ of all time. One of the most moving moments in the film is when Mary (played by Maia Morgenstern) runs to meet her Son (played by Jim Caviezel) on his way to the cross and the two strengthen each other. Gibson uses poetic license to put on the Suffering Christ’s lips the words He speaks from His heavenly throne in today’s second reading (Rev 21:1-5): “See Mother how I make all things new!”
Gibson’s transposition was theologically insightful: that Christ’s glory was in His Passion, not just His rising and ascension. In our Gospel today (Jn 13:31-35) Jesus begins His journey to the cross declaring “Now is the Son of man glorified”. St. John narrates that Judas has just left the room to unleash the events of betrayal and eventual death of Christ. His self-emptying, humiliation, suffering are the ‘real glory.’ Sure, Jesus will rise victorious – but even then, with His wounds. Sure, He is the Lamb reigning from the heavenly throne – but He is also the Lamb that was slain, whose sacrifice takes away the sins of the world. It was in His suffering and response to suffering that Jesus was glorified.
That words “show glory” and “glorify” do not signify a kind of a prideful superiority over everybody. The meaning of glory, as it’s used in the Old Testament, means it is the manifestation of the inner truth of the human being when we say, “We saw his glory.” In fact, “we saw his glory” is used quite commonly in our conversation and it has the same meaning. For instance, if an athlete, after years of ordeal and working hard and faithful to what she has to do scores a perfect ten at an Olympics gymnastic event and everyone says, “We saw her glory.” What they mean is that it is the inner strength of this young athlete, in her discipline, in her love for her country, in whatever it is that drives her forward is now manifested.
Jesus defines glory in a very differently than we do. Real glory, for him, is not the glory of winning a gold medal, of being a champion, or of being an object of envy because of one’s looks or achievements. Glory consists in being deep in compassion, forgiveness, and graciousness. We all nurse the secret dream of glory in the realm of being in the limelight. Partly this is healthy, a sign that we are emotionally well. However, this is something that needs to grow and mature inside of us. Our secret dream of glory is meant to mature so that eventually we will begin, more and more, to envision ourselves as standing out, not by talent, looks, muscles, and speed, but in our compassion and the ability to forgive from the heart.
That provides the background for “the new commandment” expressed in this Sunday's Gospel, which is also the deepest form of evangelization: “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” People observing a Christian community are supposed to be impressed that their kind of mutual service and love can only be explained by a divine presence they claim to know that empowers them. We and Christ together are to share the Father’s forgiveness for all humanity. As we live through trying times, we must remember that the only response to evil and to the poor showing of this world to its selfishness, to its demands, to its arrogance is to share the prayer of Christ on the cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” In forgiveness we take the first step to healing ourselves and healing our lives and, ultimately, as a people, with forgiveness for all, we can heal the world. Let us pray for our teenagers as they prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation, that they will strive to enter into the adult way of living their faith with conviction and witness God’s glory to the world.
Fr Tom Kunnel, C.O