A Grain of Wheat

A Grain of Wheat contains 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. 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. (John 12:24) The first four sections of A Grain of Wheat follow the liturgical 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, A Grain of Wheat is certain to sustain both those who hear the Word and those who bear the honor of preaching it.