The Hour Has Come

“The hour has come” sounds nothing more than a mere statement. But Jesus was telling his disciples that the time had come for him to die. We often think that we have all the time in the world to delay and procrastinate, and that there is always a tomorrow. Jesus shocks us to the fact that time is running out and that we need to be serious with our lives, stop fooling around and do what we are supposed to do. If we want to be true followers of Jesus, we will have to deny ourselves of our unruly desires, selfish wants and needs, embrace our cross of sufferings, and follow his footstep.

Nobody wants to die. Deep within us, we are afraid to die. We have often failed to realize that dying could mean much more than physical death. Dying to ourselves means dying to our pride and ego; and accepting unfamiliar changes in life. How we have always seen death as losing, humiliation and the end of everything? Dying to ourselves actually means taking responsibility of our lives again, and being proactive in making a change with God’s grace. Just like the seed that falls into the earth and dies, and yields a rich harvest, dying to ourselves means opening up to new possibilities and new horizons.

The hour has indeed come. We can still deceive ourselves that we are not ready, we are not worthy, this is not the best time to change, and there is no need to change. For all we know, lent has already slipped away and we are stuck in the middle of nowhere, just like the Israelites lost in the desert for forty years because Moses never bothered to ask God for direction.



Often in life, we have to make difficult decision whether to stay in our comfort zone or to move out of it. We all know we need to make a change, but we are afraid that the change will make things worse. Therefore we think of remaining in where we are. We are indecisive and torn apart. However, when we have finally made the change whether by our own choice or forced to by the situations of life, we find that our fears are actually unfounded, and that there is life on the other side.

Perhaps there are changes that we really need to make in our lives, the way we think, and the way we operate? Perhaps there are things that we have to risk to change? There is always a choice, and the choice is in our hand.

To die or not to die? To live is to die; and to die is to live…

[Reflection on the Holy Gospel according to John 12: 20-33]