Jerome
Patristic
c. A.D. 347–420
“"The earth has yielded its fruit," earth, holy Mary who is from our earth, from our seed, from this clay, from this slime, from Adam. "Dust you are, and to dust you shall return." This earth has yielded its fruit; what it lost in the Garden of Eden, it has found in the Son. "The earth has yielded its fruit." First, it brought forth a flower. It says in the Song of Songs, "I am the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys." This flower has become fruit that we might eat it, that we might consume its flesh. Would you like to know what this fruit is? A Virgin from a virgin, the Lord from the handmaid, God from man, Son from mother, fruit from earth. Listen to what the fruit itself says: "Unless the grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it cannot bring forth much fruit." "The earth has yielded its fruit"; it has yielded a grain of wheat. Because the grain of wheat has fallen into the ground and died, it produces many fruits. The fruit is multiplied in the head of grain. Because one had fallen, it rose again with many; one grain of wheat has fallen into the ground and a fruitful harvest came of it.”