Grain of wheat
Its adventure has analogies with the events of our inner life
February 10th 2015
Meditate on the long adventure of a grain of wheat before it becomes bread and food for humans. It is placed in the soil in the dark and the cold, and when it gives birth to a new sprout it dies. When this sprout comes up out of the soil, it discovers the air and the light, and it becomes a beautiful ear of wheat. But then comes harvest time: the ears of wheat are reaped and then beaten, as the grain has to be separated from the straw. And then the grain is taken to the mill to be ground and turned into flour. One day a baker mixes the flour with water and kneads it until it becomes smooth dough. When the baker has made the dough into the shape of a loaf, there comes the trial by fire: the loaf is put in the oven. When it is well cooked and well browned, it is brought to a table, where it is offered to people to grind with their teeth. Yet more suffering! And yet it is happy, because it is feeding them.
In what way does the grain of wheat’s adventure concern us? Every stage of its transformation has an equivalent in our inner life; meditate deeply on these stages. These ordeals help to make us grow, mature and ‘bake’, until we arrive at the Lord’s table for his delight.