THE WORD
2 Cor 9,6-10 / Jn 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.”
IN OTHER WORDS
The readings about the irony of the grain of wheat dying to produce much fruit is timely for the memorial of Saint Lawrence of Rome (San Lorenzo). Although several stories about him are from legends, he is popular. He is an august saint – the “sweetest saint” during the month of August as The Tablet once wrote. The poet Prudentius extols him in this celebrated hymn in honor of the saint: “When his body was lacerated by iron forks, he only smiled on his tormentors; the pangs they inflicted were to him delights; the thorns were roses, the flames a refreshing bath, death itself was but the entrance into life.”
Jesus’ speech about the grain of wheat is preceded by a story about the Greeks who wanted to see Jesus. When Jesus was informed he said: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (12:23). It may sound strange to refer to Jesus’ death as a glorification. But it answers the Greeks’ request: by dying, Jesus “will become accessible for them as the exalted Lord” (Bultmann 1971: 424).
Jesus explains this mystery in the simple language of farmers: a grain of wheat must rot in the soil to germinate. If it does, the monos (one grain) becomes polus (many).
The single wandering prophet from Galilee in the rst century A.D. has now 2.18 billion followers in more than 200 countries. How can this be explained except with that one grain of wheat that fell, died, and bore much fruit?
- Fr. Randy Flores, SVD | DWST, Tagaytay City
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
