Jesus uses a grain of wheat to explain the marvelous gift of love that happens when a person offers one’s life for others.
Mass Readings – Feast of St. Lawrence
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St. Lawrence, pray for us!
Tag Archives: Grain of Wheat
Daily Mass: Lessons learned from a grain of wheat. Catholic Inspiration
5th Sunday of the Year: A grain of wheat teaches us about life and death. Catholic Inspiration
Jesus reveals the mystery of his saving death through an example of a grain of wheat. As we die to sin and rise with Christ, may we call upon the Lord to create a clean heart within us.
Mass Readings – 5th Sunday of Lent
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5th Sunday of Lent: What we can learn from a grain of wheat
Study: When in my life have I had to let go of something, someone, so that growth could happen?
Pray: Am I struggling right now to let go? Ask God for help – wisdom and strength – to do it.
Serve: Is there someone in my life that needs help letting go of a past mistake or hurt? How can I help them?
Pastoral Note: The 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent provide an option for using the “Year A” readings at Mass for the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process, but for those who follow the usual cycle the reflection is offered below.
Mass Readings – 5th Sunday of Lent (Year B)
The Gospel of John today offers an image that contains the central idea of the Christian faith:
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.
John 12:24
Picture a grain of wheat in your hand. It is a tiny, lifeless thing; alone it can be crushed for flour. Yet if that grain is allowed to fall to the ground two things will happen.
First, the grain will die to itself. That is, it will cease to be a GRAIN of wheat. Its hull will be broken down and disintegrate, the kernel will lose its appearance, and it will no longer be able to be used for flour!
Second, the grain will become something new. The grain will be transformed into a new and living creation, full of life and possibilities. It will not resemble the grain – it will be vastly larger, living, able to grow, and full of new potential.
Simply put, as the grain of wheat “died” to its old self, a new life was able to burst forth. The old passed away, making new hope and opportunity available. This is the Paschal Mystery – a journey from death to life.
Like the grain of wheat, Jesus will also make this journey; from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, his life will be a process of transformation, change, and new life. Through his death, he will not only be raised to life, but he will become the instrument by which God saves us as well.
What does this mystery mean for us? If this journey from death to life is our own, how do we live it out? How do we experience the Paschal Mystery in our lives? Here are four ideas for reflection:
1. Death – we no longer need to be afraid!
2. Life – we let go of our selfishness – to grow!
3. Sin – we “die” to our faults; God’s grace fills us.
4. We become like Christ – if he did it, so can we!
The Paschal Mystery makes sense, because we encounter the process of death to life in so many everyday experiences. It is not an easy journey, but when we open our hearts to this mystery, we allow God’s transforming grace to work within us, remaking us into a new creation, alive in Christ!
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
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Note: This post was originally published on March 15, 2015.
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Daily Mass: To become like a grain of wheat. Catholic Inspiration
Like the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies to become a new and fruitful plant, we die to our sins and rise with Christ as a new creation filled with God’s grace through the fruitful offering of our lives.
Mass Readings – Feast of St. Lawrence
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Daily Mass: The lesson of a grain of wheat. Catholic Inspiration
The Lord teaches a key concept – the Paschal Mystery of death to new life – through the example of a grain of wheat. What needs to “die” in us today so that God’s grace can raise up something new and blessed in our hearts?
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 18th Sunday of the Year (St. Lawrence)
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Daily Mass: Lessons from a grain of wheat. Catholic Inspiration
A single grain of wheat teaches us about the journey from death to life and the abundance that God provides through our offering. May we have the courage to embrace our faith and put it into practice!
Mass Readings – Friday of the 18th Week of the Year (St. Lawrence)
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
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5th Sunday of Lent: From death to new life. Catholic Inspiration
Only after the grain of wheat dies can new life begin; this process from death to life shapes both our physical and spiritual lives. What doesn’t belong in our hearts? What needs to “die” so that Jesus Christ can raise up new life within us? The Lord offers the grace…may we walk with Him from death to new life.
Mass Readings – 5th Sunday of Lent
***************
Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Share this:
5th Sunday of Lent: The lesson of a grain of wheat
Study: When in my life have I had to let go of something, someone, so that growth could happen?
Pray: Am I struggling right now to let go? Ask God for help – wisdom and strength – to do it.
Serve: Is there someone in my life that needs help letting go of a past mistake or hurt? How can I help them?
Pastoral Note: The 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent provide an option for using the “Year A” readings at Mass for the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process, but for those who follow the usual cycle the reflection is offered below.
Mass Readings – 5th Sunday of Lent
The Gospel of John today offers an image that contains the central idea of the Christian faith:
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.
John 12:24
Picture a grain of wheat in your hand. It is a tiny, lifeless thing; alone it can be crushed for flour. Yet if that grain is allowed to fall to the ground two things will happen.
First, the grain will die to itself. That is, it will cease to be a GRAIN of wheat. Its hull will be broken down and disintegrate, the kernel will lose its appearance, and it will no longer be able to be used for flour!
Second, the grain will become something new. The grain will be transformed into a new and living creation, full of life and possibilities. It will not resemble the grain – it will be vastly larger, living, able to grow, and full of new potential.
Simply put, as the grain of wheat “died” to its old self, a new life was able to burst forth. The old passed away, making new hope and opportunity available. This is the Paschal Mystery – a journey from death to life.
Like the grain of wheat, Jesus will also make this journey; from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, his life will be a process of transformation, change, and new life. Through his death, he will not only be raised to life, but he will become the instrument by which God saves us as well.
What does this mystery mean for us? If this journey from death to life is our own, how do we live it out? How do we experience the Paschal Mystery in our lives? Here are four ideas for reflection:
1. Death – we no longer need to be afraid!
2. Life – we let go of our selfishness – to grow!
3. Sin – we “die” to our faults; God’s grace fills us.
4. We become like Christ – if he did it, so can we!
The Paschal Mystery makes sense, because we encounter the process of death to life in so many everyday experiences. It is not an easy journey, but when we open our hearts to this mystery, we allow God’s transforming grace to work within us, remaking us into a new creation, alive in Christ!
***************
Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
***************
Note: This post was originally published on March 15, 2015.
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Daily Mass: Starting small. Catholic Inspiration
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 30th Week of the Year
Like a mustard seed and some yeast, the Kingdom of God grows and transforms into something entirely new. What’s more, this process happens as we offer our lives…following the example of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
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Daily Mass: The lesson of a grain of wheat. Catholic Inspiration
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 18th Week of the Year (St. Lawrence)
When a grain of wheat falls to the ground it dies, and through this sacrifice of itself it begets new life. Our sacrifices – when directed by the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ – can also become a rich offering to the Lord, who will change and transform us with his gift of life.
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Three Great Things 