Antiphona 2

Matthew 10:39 and 16:25 both contain this paradox, central to Christ's teaching. The verb 'perdiderit' (shall lose/destroy) uses the same root as 'perdition' - real loss, not metaphorical. The 'anima' here means not just 'soul' but 'life' - the whole person. The phrase 'propter me' (for my sake) specifies the motivation that transforms loss into gain: not suicide or recklessness but deliberate sacrifice for Christ. At Vespers, as daylight dies, this antiphon proclaims that the martyr's death is actually life - the grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies bears much fruit (John 12:24).