The Gospel reading at Mass this morning is taken from John 12:24-26:
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
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.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.”
The emphasis is mine but, that line, “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.”,,, should stand out like a swore thumb to Catholics. What is the FRUIT of a grain of wheat? The answer… bread of course! So, here our Lord is serving up a glimpse into his passion, death and resurrection with a dash of Eucharistic theology. It is our Lord who is that “grain of wheat”, nailed to the TREE in the garden of Calvary, lifted up in order to draw all men to himself, having put away the sword guarding the way to the FRUIT that gives eternal life, drinking the cup of consummation, and giving up his life for all mankind. In losing his life,,, he took on the curse of Adam’s thorns (Gen.3:17), shed the blood of Noah(Gen.9:6), was cast out from Abraham’s circumcision (Gen. 17:14) and cut off from the people, nailed to Moses’ tree (Duet. 21:22-23), and took the strips of King David by the sons of men (2 Sam. 7:14). Yes, of course no bone was broken but that, in his sleep of death, the living waters of baptism and life giving blood, pouring from his side, brought forth the bride,,, the Church of of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He was laid in the virginal tomb,,, in the ground of the garden sanctuary,,, that “grain of wheat” sprouted on the third day to reap the ultimate bounty, as St. Paul says in the first reading, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Cor. 9:6-10). In other words… go big or go home! So there we are, standing in the garden beholding the resurrected Lord, under the guise of the Gardner, as a type of the new Eve, Mary Magdalene refuses to let go of her beloved (John 20:15 & Song of Solomon 3:3&4)! Unlike the first Gardner, Adam, who brought forth death and destruction in the eating of fruit, this new Adam will bring forth life for eternity by becoming the fruit that WE must eat… bread from heaven,,, so that His life is in us, and becomes ours! There is no fruit under heaven that will give you more health benefits than this… the fruit of the “grain of wheat”,,, the Eucharist,,, everlasting life!
- John 6:
- [48] I am the bread of life.
- [49] Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
- [50] This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.
- [51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
About the Author:
Joe McClane – The Catholic Hack! – is the director and events coordinator for Fullness of Truth Catholic Evangelization Ministries, as well as an a Catholic New Media producer & Evangelist. He is married to his lovely wife Michelle and they have five children. The Catholic Hack | Catholic Apologetics, Theology & More!
