Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
Today’s Scripture passages are extremely rich in visuals! All gardeners can so relate to their message. If you grow roses, you know the value of pruning. When you remove the little buds surrounding the central bud, you will reap the reward of a prize-winning flower! If you remove the worthless ‘suckers’ from a tomato plant, you ensure the quality and size of the fruit it will produce.
It seems somewhat frightening to me to hear Jesus say we should “hate this life in this world,” however, he further clarifies this when He tells us to “preserve it for eternal life.” Jesus is imploring us to preserve the life God intended for us to live. That life is a life of love, peace, faith, service, and charity. In short, it means we should live Godly life. Unfortunately, there will be the temptation to be selfish, to save worldly riches, to be haughty, to just plain sin – I think of it as the sin of ‘self.” All those temptations daily facing us can be detrimental to our preserving eternal life.
The Psalm gives us a clear roadmap to following the path of preserving eternal life. It is a clear call to freely and give limitlessly of ourselves. From the menial daily tasks of serving our families to extending generously to people experiencing poverty in our communities, “it is in this giving that we receive” and preserve eternal life.
Today, we celebrate the feast of Saint Lawrence. Much like Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Lawrence was a perfect example of loving Sacred Scripture and nurturing the poor, hungry, and oppressed to do all this while living a life of overflowing joy in the Lord. He was also responsible for caring for and hiding important church documents before he was martyred.
Prayer:
Heavenly God, thank you for the breath we take each moment of our life on this earth and the faith you have graced us with. We thank you for all those who love us and for all those we hold dear. Forgive us our sins, our weaknesses, and for the times we have put ourselves above others. Please guide us, Lord, on the path we walk today. Help us see the mission you have put before us, and help us have the courage, strength, and generosity to extend your love to all we meet. Amen.
