Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
Lectionary: 618
Lectionary: 618
Brothers and sisters:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.
As it is written:
He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.
The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will supply and multiply your seed
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.
As it is written:
He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.
The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will supply and multiply your seed
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9
R.(5) Blessed
the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Lavishly he gives to the poor,
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Lavishly he gives to the poor,
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
AlleluiaJN 8:12BC
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness
but will have the light of life, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness
but will have the light of life, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 12:24-26
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
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.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me."
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
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.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me."
Meditation:
"If
it dies, it bears much fruit"
What
can a grain of wheat tell us about life and the kingdom of God? Jesus
drew his parables from the common everyday circumstances of life. His audience,
mostly rural folk in Palestine, could easily understand the principle of new
life produced by dead seeds sown into the earth. What is the spiritual analogy
which Jesus alludes to? Is this, perhaps, a veiled reference to his own
impending death on the cross and his resurrection on the third day? Or does he
have another kind of "death and rebirth" in mind for his disciples?
Jesus, no doubt, had both meanings in mind for his disciples.
The
image of the grain of wheat dying in the earth in order to grow and bear a
harvest can be seen as a metaphor of Jesus' own death and burial in the tomb
and his resurrection. Jesus knew that the only way to victory over the power of
sin and death was through the cross. Jesus reversed the curse of our first
parents' [Adam and Eve] disobedience through his obedience to the Father's will
- his willingness to go to the cross to pay the just penalty for our sins and
to defeat death once and for all. His obedience and death on the cross obtain
for us freedom and new life in the Holy Spirit. His cross frees us from the
tyranny of sin and death and shows us the way of perfect love. There is a great
paradox here. Death leads to life. When we "die" to our selves, we
"rise" to new life in Jesus Christ.
What
does it mean to "die" to oneself? It certainly means that what is
contrary to God's will must be "crucified" or "put to
death". God gives us grace to say "yes" to his will and to
reject whatever is contrary to his loving plan for our lives. Jesus also
promises that we will bear much "fruit" for him, if we choose to deny
ourselves for his sake. Jesus used forceful language to describe the kind of
self-denial he had in mind for his disciples.
What
did he mean when he said that one must hate himself? The expression to
hate something often meant to prefer less. Jesus says that nothing should get
in the way of our preferring him and the will of our Father in heaven.
Our hope is in Paul's reminder that "What is sown in the earth is
subject to decay, what rises is incorruptible" (1 Corinthians
15:42). Do you hope in the Lord and follow joyfully the path he has chosen for
you?
"Lord
Jesus, let me be wheat sown in the earth, to be harvested for you. I want to
follow wherever you lead me. Give me fresh hope and joy in serving you all the
days of my life."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The seed must die before being
resurrected, by Irenaeus, 135-202 A.D.
"A
cutting from the vine planted in the ground bears fruit in its season, or a
kernel of wheat falling into the earth and becoming decomposed rises and is
multiplied by the Spirit of God, who contains all things. And then, through the
wisdom of God, it serves for our use when, after receiving the Word of God, it
becomes the Eucharist, which is the body and blood of Christ. In the same way
our bodies, being nourished by it, and deposited in the earth and suffering
decomposition there, shall rise at their appointed time. The Word of God grants
them resurrection to the glory of God, even the Father who freely gives to this
mortal immortality, and to this corruptible incorruption (1 Corinthians
15:53). This is so because the strength of God is made perfect in
weakness (1 Corinthians 15:43; 2 Corinthians 13:4) in order that we
may never become puffed up, as if we had life from ourselves, or become exalted
against God with ungrateful minds." (excerpt from AGAINST
HERESIES 5.2.3)
FEAST OF SAINT LAWRENCE, DEACON AND MARTYR
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, JOHN 12:24-26
(2 Corinthians 9:6-10; Psalm 112)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, JOHN 12:24-26
(2 Corinthians 9:6-10; Psalm 112)
KEY VERSE: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat" (v.24).
TO KNOW: Despite the many "signs" that Jesus performed, there were still those who refused to believe in him. Jesus' dying and rising would be the final sign that pointed to the saving mission of God at work in him. Jesus told his followers that the way to everlasting life was paradoxically through death. He wanted them to know that salvation would not be earned by extraordinary deeds, but through a willingness to sacrifice everything, even one's own life, for the sake of God's kingdom. Jesus used an illustration found in nature. A grain of wheat appeared lifeless when planted in the ground, but it would spring to life and bear fruit. Paul said "whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully" (2 Cor 9:6). Jesus' followers would be fruitful when they imitated his example of self-giving.
TO LOVE: Am I willing to sacrifice personal attachments in order to serve Jesus?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, I pray that my life will bear good fruit so that I might share eternal life with you.
FEAST OF SAINT LAWRENCE, DEACON AND MARTYR
Lawrence was one of the seven deacons of the Church of Rome. He was martyred under the Emperor Valerian in August 258, four days after Pope Sixtus II and his companions were martyred. While awaiting execution Lawrence dispersed the material wealth of the church before the Roman authorities could lay their hands on it. When Lawrence was commanded to appear for his execution, and to bring along the treasure with which he had been entrusted, he was accompanied by a multitude of Rome's crippled, blind, sick, and indigent. He announced that these were the true treasures of the Church. Lawrence's care for the poor, the ill, and the neglected led to his patronage of them. His work to save the material wealth of the Church, including its documents, brought librarians and those in related fields to see him as a patron, and to ask for his intercession. A basilica was built over his tomb fifty years after his death. By the sixth century, the Feast of Saint Lawrence was one of the most important feasts throughout much of western Christendom. His name occurs (with Sixtus) in the Roman Canon of the Mass (Eucharistic Prayer #1).
Saturday 10 August 2019
St Lawrence
2 Corinthians 9:6-10. Psalm 111(112):1-2, 5-9. John 12:24-26.
Happy the merciful who give to those in need – Psalm
111(112):1-2, 5-9.
‘If it dies, it bears much fruit.’
A martyr like St Lawrence has given all. He has truly lost his
life in this world only to keep it for eternal life. Lord, you probably won’t
require me to lay down my life, even though you do ask it of others today.
Nevertheless, that spirit of total giving of self you do ask of me.
The psalmist proclaims: ‘Happy those who are merciful and lend
to those in need.’ Giving is not a duty or a chore. Rather, it is a response
because we are loved, to the love we have been given. The challenge is to
discover joy and happiness in being loved, and in loving and giving.
Today let us ask for the grace of compassion for the people who
St Lawrence knew as the ‘treasure of the church’, the poor and discarded of
society. And may our compassion lead to action.
Saint Lawrence
Saint of the Day for August 10
(c. 225 – August 10, 258)
 |
| Saint Lawrence | Bernardo Cavallino |
Saint Lawrence’s Story
The esteem in which the Church holds Lawrence is seen in the
fact that today’s celebration ranks as a feast. We know very little about his
life. He is one of those whose martyrdom made a deep and lasting impression on
the early Church. Celebration of his feast day spread rapidly.
He was a Roman deacon under Pope Saint Sixtus II. Four days
after this pope was put to death, Lawrence and four clerics suffered martyrdom,
probably during the persecution of the Emperor Valerian.
Legendary details of Lawrence’s death were known to Damasus,
Prudentius, Ambrose, and Augustine. The church built over his tomb became one
of the seven principal churches in Rome and a favorite place for Roman
pilgrimages.
A well-known legend has persisted from earliest times. As deacon
in Rome, Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of
the Church, and the distribution of alms to the poor. When Lawrence knew he
would be arrested like the pope, he sought out the poor, widows, and orphans of
Rome and gave them all the money he had on hand, selling even the sacred
vessels of the altar to increase the sum. When the prefect of Rome heard of
this, he imagined that the Christians must have considerable treasure. He sent
for Lawrence and said, “You Christians say we are cruel to you, but that is not
what I have in mind. I am told that your priests offer in gold, that the sacred
blood is received in silver cups, that you have golden candlesticks at your
evening services. Now, your doctrine says you must render to Caesar what is
his. Bring these treasures—the emperor needs them to maintain his forces. God
does not cause money to be counted: He brought none of it into the world with
him—only words. Give me the money, therefore, and be rich in words.”
Lawrence replied that the Church was indeed rich. “I will show
you a valuable part. But give me time to set everything in order and make an
inventory.” After three days he gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed,
leprous, orphaned, and widowed persons and put them in rows. When the prefect
arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasure of the Church.”
The prefect was so angry he told Lawrence that he would indeed
have his wish to die—but it would be by inches. He had a great gridiron
prepared with coals beneath it, and had Lawrence’s body placed on it. After the
martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his
famous cheerful remark, “It is well done. Turn me over!”
Reflection
Once again we have a saint about whom almost nothing is known,
yet one who has received extraordinary honor in the Church since the fourth
century. Almost nothing—yet the greatest fact of his life is certain: He died
for Christ. We who are hungry for details about the lives of the saints are
again reminded that their holiness was after all, a total response to Christ,
expressed perfectly by a death like this.
Saint Lawrence is the Patron Saint of:
Cooks
Poor
Poor
Lectio: St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr - Jn. 12:24-26
Lectio Divina
Saturday, August 10, 2019
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty and ever-living God,
your Spirit made us Your children,
confident to call You Father.
Increase your Spirit within us
and bring us to our promised inheritance.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
your Spirit made us Your children,
confident to call You Father.
Increase your Spirit within us
and bring us to our promised inheritance.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - John 12:24-26
Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you,
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. Whoever loves his life loses
it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant
be. The Father will honor whoever serves me."
3) Reflection
• This passage contains solemn and crucial words concerning the
method by which the mission of Jesus and His disciples “produces much fruit.”
This solemn and central declaration of Jesus; “unless a wheat grain falls into
the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields
a large harvest” (v. 24), is inserted in the narrative of 12:12-36 where the
encounter of Jesus as Messiah with Israel and the rejection by the Jews of His
messianic proposal is told. What are the principal themes that describe the
messianism of Jesus? The Jews expected a messiah who would be a powerful king,
who would continue with the royal style of David and would restore to Israel
its glorious past. Instead, Jesus, places in the center of His messianism the
gift of His life and the possibility given to humanity of accepting God’s plan
for His life.
• The story of a seed. The gift of His life, as a crucial
characteristic of His messianism. Jesus outlines it with a mini parable.
He describes a central and decisive event of His life drawing from the
agricultural environment, where He takes the images to render His parables
interesting and immediate. It is the story of a seed: a small parable to
communicate with the people in a simple and transparent way: a seed begins its
course or journey in the dark matter of the earth, where it is suffocated and
withers but in the spring it becomes a green stalk and in the summer a spike charged
with grain. The focal points of the parable are both the production of much
fruit and the finding of eternal life. The seed that breaks through the
darkness of earth has been interpreted by the early Fathers of the Church as a
symbolical reference to the Incarnation of the Son of God. In the ground it
seems that the vital force of the seed is destined to get lost because the seed
withers and dies. But then the surprise of nature: in the summer when the
spikes turn golden, the profound secret of that death is revealed. Jesus knows
that death is becoming imminent, threatens His person, even though he does not
see it as a beast that devours. It is true that it has the characteristics of
darkness and of being ripped, but for Jesus it contains the secret force
typical of child birth, a mystery of fecundity and of life. In the light of
this vision one can understand another expression used by Jesus: “Anyone who
loves his life will lose it and anyone who hates his own life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.” Anyone who considers his own life as a cold
property to be lived in egoism is like a seed enclosed in itself and without
any hope for life. On the contrary, if one who “hates his life,” a very sharp
semitic expression, it is only then that life becomes creative: it is a source
of peace, of happiness and of life. It is the reality of the seed that sprouts.
But the reader can also see in the mini parable of Jesus another dimension:
that of the “Passover.” Jesus knows that in order to lead humanity to the
threshold of divine love He has to go through the dark way of death on the
cross. On the trail of this life the disciple also faces his own “hour”, that
of death, with the certainty that it will lead to eternal life, that is to say,
to full communion with God.
• In synthesis. The story of the seed is that of dying in order
to multiply itself; its function is that of service to life. The annihilation
of Jesus is comparable to the seed of life buried in the earth. In Jesus’ life,
to love is to serve and to serve is to lose oneself in the life of others, to
die to oneself in order to allow others to live. While His “hour” is
approaching, the conclusion of His mission, Jesus assures His own with the
promise of a consolation and of a joy without end, accompanied by every type of
disturbance or trouble. He gives the example of the seed that has to wither and
of the woman who has to endure the pangs of childbirth. Christ has chosen the
cross for Himself and for His own: anyone who wants to be His disciple is
called to share the same path. He always spoke to His disciples in a radical
way: “Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his
life for My sake, will save it” (Lk 9: 24).
4) Personal questions
• Does your life express the gift of yourself? Is it a seed of
love that makes love be born? Are you aware that in order to be a seed of joy,
so that there will be joy in the wheat grain, the moment of sowing is
necessary?
• Can you say that you have chosen the Lord if later you do not embrace the cross with Him? When the hard struggle breaks out in you between “yes” or “no,” between courage and fear, between faith and unbelief, between love and egotism, do you feel lost, thinking that such temptations are not suitable for those who follow Jesus?
• Can you say that you have chosen the Lord if later you do not embrace the cross with Him? When the hard struggle breaks out in you between “yes” or “no,” between courage and fear, between faith and unbelief, between love and egotism, do you feel lost, thinking that such temptations are not suitable for those who follow Jesus?
5) Concluding Prayer
All goes well for one who lends generously,
who is honest in all his dealing;
for all time to come he will not stumble,
for all time to come the upright will be remembered. (Ps 112:5-6)
who is honest in all his dealing;
for all time to come he will not stumble,
for all time to come the upright will be remembered. (Ps 112:5-6)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét