Grain of wheat to bread, from
The analogy with our inner journey
January 23rd 2013
What a lesson there is for us in the grain of wheat’s eventful journey toward becoming the bread that is the food of humankind! Placed in the dark, cold earth, it has to die to give birth to a new germ. When this germ comes up out of the soil, it finds air and light and becomes a beautiful ear of wheat. When harvest time comes, the ears are reaped, then beaten, for the grain must be separated from the straw. And its trials are not yet ended, for the grain is brought to the mill to be ground and turned into flour. One day, the baker mixes the flour with water and kneads it to a smooth dough, then shapes the dough into a loaf. And then comes the trial by fire, when the bread is placed in the oven. Once it is well cooked and golden, it is brought to the table, where it is delivered up to humans to be eaten. And then, the grain of wheat is happy. Why? Because it is serving as food.
What has the grain of wheat’s journey to do with us? Each stage of its transformation has its equivalent in our inner life. All the trials we endure serve to make us grow and mature – cook, so to speak – until we reach the Lord’s table, to be ‘eaten’ by him.