PODCAST | Fifth Week of Lent: You Are a Grain of Wheat
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In this podcast, as we continue our Lenten devotions, Fr. Peter Armenio explores the theme of taking up the yoke of Jesus in order to follow him. Following Jesus inevitably entails bearing our cross daily of which suffering is the raw material: “Whether it’s emotional, mental, psychological, moral, spiritual, physical, that’s the raw material.”
We all experience suffering to a greater or lesser degree. The key is not to turn away from suffering or to give up following Jesus when our suffering, our cross, seemingly becomes too great to bear. Rather we must become the grain of wheat that falls to the earth and dies; in doing so, we become Christ to others. As Fr. Peter says, “I become intimately part of the Holy Mass, the Eucharistic sacrifice, if I die with Him, if I connect with His cross, I become Christ.”
In this podcast, you will also hear how:
- The cry of modern society is to see Jesus, and he wants his followers to show him to others through the witness of their lives.
- Two young people used their illness and suffering to become grains of wheat and gave life to others through their unity with Christ.
- When we connect with the cross of Christ, we “buy grace” for others, and as we do so, we become that “grain of wheat.”
Image by Adam Van Noort via Wikimedia Commons
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Rev. Peter Armenio
Rev. Peter V. Armenio was ordained a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei in 1980. He is the author of several books published by Midwest Theological Forum, including Highlights of the Catholic Faith. He also served as President of the St. Josemaria Institute from 2006 to 2012. He has been working in campus ministry for the past 30 years and also preaches recollections and gives spiritual direction in Chicago.
