grains of wheat

Tertullian famously observed, "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." I believe there is great truth in his words - the most convincing of all arguments for a way of life/system of belief is the dedication of its adherents. Willingness to sacrifice one's life for one's beliefs is the ultimate show of "dedication," if you will. There is no doubt of the power found in the witness of suffering and sacrifice.

Tertullian's words are closely tied to those of Christ, in today's Gospel reading (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.'"

St. Lawrence, whose feast is today, was one of these grains of wheat - a martyr of the early Church. And of course, there have been many, many more throughout the centuries - all of the apostles except St. John, and in recent times, St. Edith Stein (yesterday's post), St. Maximilian Kolbe (coming up next week...), Blessed Miguel Pro, and countless others, known and unknown. 

The majority of us will likely not be called upon to give our lives for what we believe (although the 20th century did produce more Christian martyrs than all other centuries of Christianity combined - a rather sobering thought) the martyrs are important examples to consider when we think about making sacrifices and standing up for what we profess to believe. In a very real sense, we should seek to see ourselves as those grains of wheat.

+Peace and good.