John 12:24-26

2 Corinthians 9:6-10

Psalm 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, inspire me as I look to see what I can do for the poor in my community. Do not let me be selfish with my time or treasure. Do not let me seek after recognition or earthly honors for the good works I accomplish.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Servants of Jesus: The Gospel chosen for the Feast of Saint Lawrence provides us with the pattern of Christian life. It is nothing more than a sharing in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus died for all of us. He gave his life so that we might live. Jesus’ “disciples participate in this saving dynamic by replicating this pattern of loving self-sacrifice” (Wright and Martin, The Gospel of John, 223). “As a planted seed must decay before it sprouts new life, so Jesus must endure death to bring us eternal life. This principle holds true for disciples, who must die to themselves to receive the fullness of life from God and be channels of life to others” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 186). Hating our life in this world means being detached from sin and all the things in this world that can lead us away from God and cause us to rebel against God (see Wright and Martin, The Gospel of John, 223).

2. Saint Lawrence: Lawrence was one of the seven deacons in Rome during the reign and persecution of the Roman Emperor Valerian (reigned from 253 to 260 A.D.). When Pope Sixtus II became Pope in 257, he ordained Lawrence as a deacon. Later the Pope appointed Lawrence as the archdeacon of Rome. When the pope was martyred on August 6, 258, he prophesied that Lawrence would soon follow. After the death of Sixtus, the Roman prefect demanded that Lawrence surrender the treasure of the Church. St. Ambrose tells us that Lawrence asked for three days to gather it. Instead of collecting the valuables of the Church, Lawrence began to sell them in order to give the money to the poor. Lawrence returned to the prefect three days later with the poor and sick of the city of Rome. He said: “Here are the treasures of the Church. You see, the Church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor.” Because of this, Lawrence was condemned to death. It is possible that he was decapitated like Pope Sixtus, but tradition holds that he was condemned to be roasted on a gridiron. We are told that he kept his joy through his martyrdom and joked to his executioners that they should turn him over since he was done on one side. Lawrence exemplified great concern for the poor, was generous in his service of charity to the Church of Rome, and was faithful to the Bishop of Rome. As Pope Leo the Great said: “The flames could not overcome Christ’s love and the fire that burned outside was less keen that that which blazed within” (Leo the Great, Homily 85). He is the patron saint of cooks, chefs, and comedians!

3. God Loves a Cheerful Giver: The First Reading was chosen because it is Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians to be generous in giving to the collection he was organizing for the suffering Church in Jerusalem. Paul reminds the Corinthians that God is the source of all blessing and can be trusted to provide for them when they generously share with others. They have received Christ’s wondrous gift of salvation and must become givers themselves. “For charitable giving is itself an act of ‘righteousness’ (9:9) mirroring the transformative grace they have received” (Prothro, The Apostle Paul and His Letters: An Introduction, 139). By giving to the Church in Jerusalem, the Corinthians will show that they are members of the same Body of Christ. There is no division between Jew and Gentile in the New Covenant Kingdom of God inaugurated by Jesus Christ. “The gentiles have received a share in the spiritual resources of Israel and now share other resources in return” (Prothro, The Apostle Paul and His Letters: An Introduction, 140). Paul reminds the Corinthians that: “charitable gifts must flow from a joyful heart, not one that hesitates or begrudges the gift (Deuteronomy 15:10). Reluctant givers show themselves to be attached to their wealth; their donations, sizeable or not, are thus empty before God” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 323). Generous charity is a pleasing offering to God and will be repaid handsomely: “Sacrificial generosity is richly rewarded by God, who outmatches our earthly gifts with blessings that are lasting and heavenly” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 323-324).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the supreme model of generosity and self-giving. You gave everything so that I might have divine life. You gave without reserve and I need to prudently do the same.

Living the Word of God: Have I been generous to the poor this year? What am I attached to that keeps me from being more generous? Am I a cheerful, generous giver, or a reluctant, stingy giver?