Lenten Reflections: Thirtieth Day "Grain of Wheat" Sunday, March 22, 2015

‘Grain of Wheat’!

Jesus is ready to embrace death willingly and obediently from the goodness of his heart for “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground it remains a wheat but if it does it will produce much fruit”. 

This solemn act of Jesus is stemming from his conviction that his death is the way to glorify God even if he is ‘troubled’ for a moment. 

So Jesus is living up to the code: ‘ Die before you die so when you die, you won’t die’. In fact when Jesus died he was able to be present in countless ways to countless people for countless years.

 Jesus’ enduring miracle is His saving death and resurrection, which is made present at every Mass. 

The power of that miracle, redemption, is available to all of us. The truth is that something about us has to die for new life to be born and released. Death leads to life.  

Our Gospels seem to contain a lot of these paradoxical truths; how strength is found through making oneself weak, “to find myself I must lose myself”, “it is in giving away that I receive”, and in this case, “that through death we experience life”.  

Taken at a glance these are absurd statements, and it amazes me to consistently encounter the truth of them in my life. 

Thomas Merton, the great spiritual writer of the last century, extensively dealt with the notion of experiencing new life through death, particularly in the way we ourselves must die in order to have new life in Christ. 

He describes the “false self” that must pass away in order for the new life that God desires for us to begin; in other words, a movement towards holiness.

Pope Francis in his address to clergy and religious talked about ‘terrorism of gossip’ that destroys people and communities and if Christ is not at the center of your life postpone ordination, for a “If the center of your life is someone you have a problem with, you'll have no joy”! 

If you are not joyful people can smell it. When we die to self and crack open the shell of sinful behavior in our life, it is to bring something else to life, spiritual wisdom in our daily affairs, a powerful and personal relationship with God, closeness to Christ, the strength of the Holy Spirit in any storm, the power to enhance the lives of others through forgiveness and through intelligent, wise and discerning love- all the things that Jesus was. 

That is what our dying to self is to bring forth and that is what Lent is all about.

Lent is a time to crack the shell of sin in our life. 

What is there in your life that has to die for new life in Christ to be born?

Bishop Fulton Sheen explains the Sacrament of Confession:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YnFgdlEqeg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRZJeHl8aiw

Bishop Fulton Sheen "There's Hope"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebEyz18rX2M