Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 10, 2024
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.”
The first two words that jump out at me from today’s gospel are, “Jesus said.” They bring me back to my days as a new bride standing in my in-law’s kitchen, having a conversation with them. I remember my father-in-law saying, “Jesus never made idle conversation.” That day, he taught me that every word Jesus spoke was spoken with intention and meaning. This reminds me to listen and to ask myself to this day, “What is Jesus saying to me? What is he saying to all of us?”
Reading on, I hear Jesus compare us to grains of wheat. It seems Jesus wants to remind us of our humanity, the weakness we experience as humans, and the weakness he experienced in his humanity. Christ goes on to remind us that this weakness does not bind us and that when we lay down our lives, he will cause us to bear much fruit.
How often do I feel like little more than a grain of wheat? How frequently must I be reminded that when I die to my plans and listen for Christ’s voice, fruit flowers in abundance?
The fruit of Christ in my life are my seven children. As a new bride standing in the kitchen that day with my in-laws, I didn’t imagine my life with a big family. With my youngest in high school and most of the hard work of raising kids in the rearview, I see the blessing of imperfect obedience to Christ’s plan come to life in the witness of these adult children as they embrace their Catholic faith.
As I write this reflection, I feel the words “thank you” rising from my heart. Thank you, Father, Son, and Spirit, for walking with me each day, for your patience, and for the opportunity to achieve eternal life.
Prayer
Lord, our God, your deacon, Lawrence spent himself for the poor of the Church. Thus he merited martyrdom and was deemed worthy to receive an eternal reward. As Christians may we also accept our daily sufferings as a sign of our willingness to join our lives to the millions who have gone before us giving their lives freely for the sake of the kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Lawrence is one of the most venerated saints among the Christian martyrs, and his manner of death has inspired cooks to ask for his prayers.
He was one of seven deacons that served the Church in Rome—his role was to manage the material goods of the Christian community, and to distribute financial support to the poor. In 257, the emperor ordered the suppression and persecution of Christians. The pope was arrested and killed, and Lawrence followed him four days later. This is all we know for certain of this saint’s life.
Other details have been filled in by the faithful. St. Ambrose and others have offered more details to his life, but it is unclear if these are embellishments or fact. The most prominent of these stories involves Lawrence’s clever retort to a greedy Roman official.
The official imagined that the Church held great wealth, and wanted to seize anything of value, such as the precious metals used in sacred vessels and candlesticks. He ordered Lawrence to hand all of these things over.
Lawrence replied to him, “The Church is indeed rich—the emperor has no treasure equal to what it possesses.” He asked for a few days to take an inventory and to set everything in order.
Then Lawrence went through Rome, seeking all of the poor people who were supported by the Church. On the appointed day, he lined them up—people who were disabled and blind and sick with leprosy, as well as widows and orphans. Then he invited the official to come and meet him.
When the official arrived and saw this collection of suffering people, he asked Lawrence what this meant. Lawrence replied, “What are you displeased at? These are the treasures of the Church.”
The official was infuriated and threatened to kill Lawrence slowly. He ordered a gridiron prepared over a bed of hot coals, and had Lawrence roasted upon it. St. Ambrose tells us that while Lawrence’s body was subject to fire, his spirit was set aflame with divine love. In fact, it is said that after roasting on one side, Lawrence said to his executioner, “Let my body be turned; this side is broiled enough.”
Lawrence is certainly one of the most venerated martyrs of the early Church, and is included in one of the Eucharistic prayers in the Mass. With an ironic nod, he is patron saint against the threat of fire, and of those who prepare food. His relics rest in the Basilica, and the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art holds this sketch of his martyrdom by Luigi Gregori. The image at top is a detail from a fresco by Blessed Fra Angelico and depicts Lawrence distributing alms to the poor.
St. Lawrence, courageous martyr and patron of chefs and cooks, pray for us!
Image credit:
Luigi Gregori (Italian, 1819-1896), The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, n.d., graphite, ink, and wash on laid paper. Raclin Murphy Museum of Art: Gift of Luigi Gregori, AA1972.031.094.