Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast
came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee,
and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”
Philip went and told Andrew;
then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
Jesus answered them,
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
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.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.

“I am troubled now.  Yet what should I say?
‘Father, save me from this hour’?
But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name.”
Then a voice came from heaven,
“I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”
The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder;
but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
Jesus answered and said,
“This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.
Now is the time of judgment on this world;
now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself.”
He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

Spring. Thank God it’s here! The ushering in of new life. Stores and garden centers are full of gardening tools, flower and vegetable seeds, fertilizers, and how-to books on making one’s yard the envy of the neighborhood.

It seems America is once again embracing an agrarian culture. Perhaps the COVID lockdown has given us at least one positive as we look to our own back yards as places of safety, comfort, and security.  Many have discovered the joy and satisfaction in raising their own tomatoes, peppers, “coogootz”, parsley, “basi-nigole”, and many other plants too numerous to mention.

I must admit, I get a great deal of satisfaction from planting seeds and waiting for the miracle of nature as they sprout, develop into seedlings, and ultimately grow to their full potential. And, equally miraculous, is their ability to generate seed that, when harvested and properly cared for, can be planted to perpetuate future harvests.

What’s utterly amazing about each seed is that each one contains the full potential of its being. The entire potential of the plant, whether it be a vegetable, flower, fruit, or tree, is contained within that one seed. There is no confusion. A tomato seed yields tomatoes; pepper seeds yield peppers; and so on. Think of it; the genetic code for each variety of plant is contained within each and every seed.

And so it is with us. In today’s first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah we hear, “I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts.”  This New Covenant of love for God and love for neighbor is placed within us; it is imprinted within our human genetic code. Each person, regardless of race, or creed, shall know there is only one true God. It is the seed of life; the seed that, once planted in our hearts must be nurtured lest it wither and die. Our hearts contain the New Covenant code for eternal life but, just as a seed enters in the ground in order to bring forth new life, we too must die to this world so that we can rise to new life.

I think it fairly easy to make a correlation between ourselves and plants. After all, we are living beings that developed from the human seed of our parents. We are planted on this earth, in a figurative sense; but in a very real sense we are to grow and develop into our fullest potential which is to ultimately be harvested and gathered into God’s grain bins. We are invited to live in the Garden of Paradise where, unlike Adam and Eve, we shall dwell forever in the Garden of Eternal Life.

A seed that does not open; whose hull remains closed, cannot propagate. Likewise, when we remain closed to God’s grace and mercy we cannot grow in His likeness. In effect, our seed withers and dies. Unless we die to our own will, to our selfish desires, we cannot bear fruit that will last until the harvest at the end of time. Dying to ourselves means dying to our pride, dying to our arrogance, our lusts, our wrath, greed, or envy.  Dying to self also means acknowledging that we are in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. His mercy and forgiveness is freely given if we but ask for it.

And that begs the question; who is responsible for caring for us? Who is the gardener that must tend the soil of our hearts? Who is responsible for making sure we are well watered? Who must take care that the weeds don’t creep in and overtake our garden? The answer is… each of us is responsible for our own garden.

Jesus is the Master Gardener. He gives us the ability to plant a new garden when ours has become overwrought with the difficulties of life or when there is nothing left to harvest.

No matter how decrepit our garden has become, Jesus is there to help us plant anew. He breaks up the clods of dirt and tills the soil of our hardened hearts with a very special tool; the Sacrament of Reconciliation. His shovel and blade cut through the toughest of sin and his rake helps us to smooth out our lives so that the seed of eternal life can once again be planted, sprout, and flourish.

The important thing to take away from this Gospel is the necessity of trusting God completely. This is the good news; that if we imitate the grain of wheat and die to ourselves, we too will bear much fruit and have life to the fullest; we shall live an abundant life of virtue, peace, and love.

We should not be discouraged if we do not yet have perfect and pure love for neighbor for we are in a process of growing; and in a process of learning to die to oneself. We are called to glorify the Father; and often we must admit that, even though we are not perfect, we continually ask God for his grace to do better each moment of our lives. Just as a grain of wheat transitions into new life Christ calls each of us to eternal life with Him, with the Saints, and all who shall live forever in the New and Eternal Jerusalem.

Dying to oneself is not easy; neither is cracking open a coconut. But, once the shell is loosened the sweet white meat inside becomes a delight; the thing that coconut cream pie is made of.

Soon we shall celebrate Holy Week. The Sacred Scripture accounts of Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane are a direct correlation to the type of dying today’s Gospel account prepares us for; not my will, but God’s will. As we prepare to enter into Holy Week, let us take to heart the necessity of following Christ; for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Let us be planted firmly in the garden tilled by Christ’s Passion. Let us be watered by His Blood. Let us emerge as new life to become the wheat gathered, ground, and given to others as we become followers of Christ and servants for others.  Once we enter the tomb with Christ and enter His Passion and Death to this world, we can rise once again to the Eternal Easter where the Garden of Paradise awaits us for eternity.

Psalm 92 tells us:

“The just shall flourish like the palm tree and grow like a Lebanon cedar.

Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God, still bearing fruit when they are old; still full of sap; still green.”

May this be our prayer; that our Lenten journey be filled with the seeds of new life and a rich harvest.

Deacon Mark Izzo, Permanent Deacon at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica and Saint Anthony Parish

The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers
the day I took them by the hand
to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they broke my covenant,
and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,
for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.

R. (12a)  Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.

In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there

And unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.