11 April 2019
Memorial of Saint Stanislaus, bishop, martyr
For a grain of wheat to become fruitful and multiply, it must first fall to the ground. It must be separated from its parent plant. This is a process of detachment and change and even death in a real sense. Hence the saying of our Lord from John 12:24 “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.”
This dynamic is found all throughout scripture. Abram, for example, the great patriarch, detached himself from his homeland of Haran and followed God’s call to a land he knew not, the land of Canaan. There he prostrated himself before God (“fell face down” Genesis 17:3). It was while he was lying face down on the ground in a foreign place that God made a covenant with him and his family. God gave them new names. They were no longer Abram and Sarai but Abraham and Sarah. God also promised them “I will make you exceedingly fertile” (Genesis 17:6). This promise was made despite the obvious fact that Abraham and Sarah had advanced too far in years to bear children.
Friend, in order to have a fruitful life you must repeat these processes every day. #1: Every day let go of old attachments and habits in order to open yourself all the more to God and his gifts. #2: Every day fall to the ground in true humility so that, on the last day, you will be lifted up by the King of kings. “Your father who sees in secret will repay you” (Matthew 6:4).