THE TRUE JEWELS
"Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need"
(Ps 112)
In today's
responsorial psalm we acclaim: "Blessed the man who is gracious and lends
to those in need" (Ps 112). Lavishly He gives to those in need, a
generosity that goes on and on. This happens through the grace of God, our
heavenly Father.
St. Lawrence truly
understood about the most important treasures of the Church. After the death of
Pope Sixtus, the prefect of Rome demanded that Lawrence turn over the riches of
the Church. Ambrose is the earliest source for the tale that Lawrence asked for
three days to gather together the wealth. Lawrence worked swiftly to distribute
as much Church property to the poor as possible, so as to prevent its being
seized by the prefect. When ordered to give up the treasures of the Church, he
presented the poor, the crippled, the blind and the suffering, and said that
these were the true treasures (jewels) of the Church. One account records
Lawrence declaring to the prefect, "The Church is truly rich, far richer
than your emperor." This act of defiance led directly to his martyrdom.
Lawrence was placed on a red-hot gridiron, and his last words to his
executioners were "This side's done; turn me over." All this happened
to him for showing true compassion and courage, and for challenging
righteousness. St. Lawrence was a deacon charged with the care of the poor in
Rome, whom he loved deeply.
Both readings today
focus on the process of sowing seed and reaping grain for what is good for all.
St. Paul uses this imagery to encourage his Corinthian Christians to be
generous in contributing to a collection he is taking up for the Church of
Jerusalem. (We Catholics know this well!) The principle behind this is that it
extends far beyond a monetary collection. If one sows sparingly, one reaps
sparingly. This applies to many things that we do in our human lives. Paul also
emphasizes that the real source of whatever we do is God, and not ourselves,
because God will provide. The Gospel of John speaks of the necessity for grain
and seed to die before it can be transformed into the fruit it is to produce.
The point here is the necessity of the death of Jesus, the fruit of which is
our salvation. The Gospel implies that followers of Jesus must also be prepared
to give up their earthly lives in order experience a greater form of life called
eternal life. This is how Jesus Christ served us, and it is how we are called
to serve one another.
We have examples of
people living out this teaching by giving up their very lives, faithful men and
women whose lives were an imitation of Jesus Christ, and a service to God and
others.
Saint Lawrence,
help us and pray for us to know the true Jewels of the Church and throughout
the world. Amen.