To Sow and To Die
“Everything begins” answered the Poor One. “The condition the Father asks of me is my sacrifice. Once my immersion into the waters of death is consummated, the plant will raise its head and begin to scale the heights. Do you remember how many times I have used the example of the grain of wheat? If it does not fall into the ground, it remains sterile; if it dies, it will yield much fruit. My life as a sower has been precarious. The sowing has ended. Now I must disappear.”
“Master” protested Peter, “you could have avoided the conflict with the authorities.”
“In the hour of greatest danger,” added John, “you could have escaped the circle of fire, and could have gone to the Golan Heights or you could have lost yourself in the Gilboa mountains.”
“Once the indications of my Father,” responded Jesus, “made me aware that the center of gravity of my mission was my own martyrdom, and once the awareness became a conviction, my impatience provided wings for my feet. With which baptism will I be baptized? And how I feel impatience and eagerness for the final end to arrive! Within a few days, we will go up to Jerusalem and, at a designated moment, the pyre of martyrdom will be ignited. The seed is already sown; what is there to wait for?”
And the Poor One ended by saying: “I have desires to deposit my life in the hands of my Father as the greatest offering of love and the price of redemption. Sometimes it looks like I don’t understand anything, but even so I know only one thing: my Father steers the ship, and in his hands, I will allow myself to be guided anywhere, anytime, anyhow. With eyes closed and completely passive, I will enter the dark and mysterious tunnel, although I do not see any light until the end. That will be the opus of my life. I have to fulfill the drama until its consummation. My Father will do the rest.”
Extracted from the book “The poor one of Nazareth” by Fr. Ignacio Larrañaga
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