A look into the heart and mind of Jesus

April 2, 2006 -- Fifth Sunday of Lent

By Bishop Robert Morneau

	Bishop Robert Morneau
	Questions for reflection: 1. How has your knowledge of Jesus grown over the years? 2. What do you know about thoughts and feelings of Jesus? 3. Why is service so central to the Christian message?

Dietrich von Hildebrand, a noted spiritual director, once commented about the human person: "How immensely much is . . . in a single human being! How much is contained in a being that possesses consciousness and is pervaded by the light of reason, that is endowed with a capacity for love and for knowledge, that is free, and a bearer of moral values; a being which, in contradistinction to all others, is not merely a vestige but an image of God."

L e n t
• Everyday People, Everyday Faith articles
• Other Lent articles

If the human person is so terribly complex and mysterious, what then of the person of Jesus? Like the Greeks in the Gospel today we, too, "would like to see Jesus," we, too, would like to understand what goes on inside our Lord. And we are given some glimpses in the readings for this fifth Sunday of Lent.

Jesus' mind! Jesus had several convictions that express His vision: unless we die to ourselves we cannot bear fruit; only by losing our lives can we gain eternal life; disciples must serve as Jesus served; through obedience to suffering, eternal salvation is attained. In Jesus' mind was also the vision of the prophet Jeremiah who spoke of a covenantal God and one who forgives sins.

To know someone we have to know what they are thinking. Jesus' main concern is the glory of His Father. God is glorified when love, light, and life permeate the world. But history records so much darkness, hatred, and death. Jesus would draw to Himself all those who became obedient to the Father's will by their self-giving love.

Jesus' heart! For those who have a romantic perspective of Jesus, they might find it difficult to comprehend the agony in the heart of Jesus. The book of Hebrews describes Jesus' prayers as prayers involving loud cries and tears. The Gospel is clear about what is going on in the heart of Jesus: "I am troubled now." Here is someone who knows our trials and tribulations from the inside. The cries of the poor in Africa; the tears of those killed in bombings in the Middle East; the troubles we experience in relationships - none of this is foreign to Jesus.

So often the prophets talk about the heart and how God seeks to transform that site of our affections. Jeremiah reminds us that God will write His law upon our hearts. We will know from the inside what is right and what is wrong. It is the heart that is the center of so much joy and sorrows. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a heart of mercy and love.

Jesus' behavior! There is one word that keeps reoccurring as we contemplate the life of Jesus: service. In obedience to His Father's will, Jesus came to serve the needs of humanity and the greatest need of all is that of salvation. Thus, Jesus serves by drawing us into His life and lifting us to the Father. That Spirit of commitment and sacrifice is what the Christian life is about. "Whoever serves me must follow me, says the Lord; and where I am, there also will my servant be."

In his novel Lord Jim, Joseph Conrad writes: "It is when we try to grapple with another man's intimate need that we perceive how incomprehensible, wavering, and misty are the beings that share with us the sight of the stars and the warmth of the sun."

As we approach Holy Week, we continue to grapple, not with our understanding of one another, but with our understanding of Jesus, Son of God, Son of Mary, human and divine. Our finite intellects falter here but through prayer and grace, Jesus does reveal Himself to us as our brother, our redeemer, and, indeed, our friend.

(Bp. Morneau is the auxiliary bishop of the Green Bay Diocese and pastor of Resurrection Parish in Allouez.)