{"product_id":"a-grain-of-wheat","title":"A Grain of Wheat","description":"\u003ch4\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEdited by Christa Ressmeyer Klein || Foreword by George Weigel\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Grain of Wheat \u003c\/b\u003econtains sixty-five of the sermons that Leonard R. Klein preached as a shepherd of souls. Formerly a Lutheran pastor, Klein entered into full communion with the Catholic Church in 2003 and was ordained a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, in 2006. With the exception of his last sermon as a Lutheran pastor, this volume draws from more than five hundred sermons that he proclaimed as a Catholic priest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eUnless 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. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e(John 12:24)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eThe first four sections of \u003ci\u003eA Grain of Wheat\u003c\/i\u003e follow the liturgical year: Advent through Christmas; Lent and the Easter season; Ordinary Time; and Solemnities and Feasts. The fifth section offers an array of Occasional Sermons, notable among which are those given at funerals (including that of his daughter Renate) and at weddings. In the words of Christa Ressmeyer Klein, his wife and this volume’s editor, Fr. Klein was “a teaching preacher who coaxed parishioners to put on the whole armor of God and be equipped to lead holy lives.” A veritable feast of good and nourishing preaching, \u003ci\u003eA Grain of Wheat \u003c\/i\u003eis certain to sustain both those who hear the Word and those who bear the honor of preaching it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"p1\" data-mce-style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e* * *\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFather Leonard R. Klein \u003c\/b\u003e(1945–2019) served the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, as rector of the Cathedral of St. Peter and pastor of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church \/ St. Patrick Church. A Lutheran pastor from 1972 to 2003, he was ordained a Catholic priest in 2006. Notable for his effective expository preaching, liturgical sensibility, and pastoral care, Father Klein was also director of the Respect Life Committee for the Diocese of Wilmington and chaplain to the St. Thomas More Society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eChrista R. Klein, Ph.D.,\u003c\/b\u003e his wife of fifty years, enjoys their family of two married children and seven grand-children. She taught at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland, where she also served as founding dean for the Center for Continuing Formation. She is president emerita of In Trust, a center founded to strengthen leadership in Christian theological seminaries in North America.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover:\u003c\/strong\u003e 372pp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 978-1685951245\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-mce-style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e* * *\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"p1\"\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eA Grain of Wheat\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eEvery good homily has the power to console, refresh, and encourage the believing heart. It’s not an easy task. In a sense it’s perilous work, because—done well or done poorly—every homily translates the living Word of God into lessons and counsel that can shape the course of lives with clarity or confusion; zeal or indifference. Father Leonard Klein, Catholic priest and former Lutheran pastor, was a master craftsman in the art of preaching; a man of profound faith and a gifted wordsmith in the language of Christian belief. The homilies collected in this volume rank among his very best. They are a joy and a treasure to read. \u003c\/em\u003e(\u003cstrong\u003eCharles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.,\u003c\/strong\u003e Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAs the son of convert Protestant ministers, I have some understanding of the courage, fidelity to the Splendor of Truth and trust in the will of God that it took for Fr. Leonard Klein and his wife Christa to enter the Catholic Church. Fr. Klein’s Collected Sermons give witness to his passion for holiness and truth, reflecting the depth of his interior life and the depth of his intellectual and pastoral charity.\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003eJohn O. Barres, \u003c\/strong\u003eBishop of Rockville Centre)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis splendid collection of sermons is theologically rich and personally challenging. Indeed, the sermons are so challenging––and inspiring––precisely because they are also theologically substantive. As in Newman one encounters here no artificial separation of head and heart, of reason and imagination. Father Klein’s words engage the whole of our being, in the concreteness of our everyday lives, and lead us gently to the praise and glory of God. His grain of wheat has yielded a truly abundant harvest. \u003c\/em\u003e(\u003cstrong\u003eFather Robert Imbelli, \u003c\/strong\u003eauthor of ‌\u003cem\u003eRekindling the Christic Imagination\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThese sermons will richly enhance your understanding of our high calling as Christians, especially in marriage, a sacrament which Fr. Klein believed brings healing to our wounded world. His sermons empower married couples in the pews to look upon our catastrophic social order, understand their role in God’s plan, and go out to save the world.\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003eAna Samuel, PhD,\u003c\/strong\u003e Academic Director, CanaVox)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eFather Leonard Klein…was a shining witness to what it means to be a good shepherd of the flock. He nourished his people with the Word of God and the grace of the sacraments. He could do so because he was himself a radically converted Christian whose ministry grew out of a life of prayer and study. Leonard Klein’s distinctive life-experience is not easily replicable. But his example, as a biblically literate Christian and a minister of the Gospel, could well be emulated by many. \u003c\/em\u003e(\u003cstrong\u003eGeorge Weigel,\u003c\/strong\u003e in the Foreword to \u003cem\u003eA Grain of Wheat\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cluny Media","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51320585355552,"sku":"978-1685951245","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0993\/3678\/2112\/files\/ProductImages_Grain.jpg?v=1773076014","url":"https:\/\/treewee.store\/products\/a-grain-of-wheat","provider":"Tree of Life","version":"1.0","type":"link"}