Bible
Study: 2 Corinthians 9, 6 to 10. John 12, 24 to 26.
The lives
of the Saints are like torchlights that help us navigate our ways through the
dark corners of life. The saints were not extra-ordinary over-talented people,
they were not celebrities or idols like our movie stars or musicians; they were
simply ordinary people laden with weaknesses and limitations like we have. Yet,
the small choices they made, the things they stood by and their refusal to
compromise or give in to sin when it seemed plausible make them stand out as
role models for us.
Saint
Lawrence was one of seven deacons who were in charge of giving help to the poor
and the needy. In the midst of a certain persecution, Lawrence, seeing that the
Pope had been condemned to death decided to gave to the poor the rest of the
money he had on hand and even sold expensive vessels to have more to give away.
The
Prefect of Rome, a greedy pagan, thought the Church had a great fortune hidden
away. So he ordered Lawrence to bring the Church's treasure to him. The Saint
said he would, in three days. Then he went through the city and gathered
together all the poor and sick people supported by the Church. When he showed
them to the Prefect, he said: "This is the Church's treasure!"
In great
anger, the Prefect condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. The Saint was
tied on top of an iron grill over a slow fire that roasted his flesh little by
little, but Lawrence was burning with so much love of God that he almost did
not feel the flames. In fact, God gave him so much strength and joy that he
even joked. "Turn me over," he said to the judge. "I'm done on
this side!" And just before he died, he said, "It's cooked enough
now." Then he prayed that the city of Rome might be converted to Jesus and
that the Catholic Faith might spread all over the world.
One of man’s
greatest fears is the fear of dying. When threatened with death, we are so
easily moved to compromise even our strongly held beliefs, our true nature so
to say, comes out. But Jesus is saying to us today, “Unless a grain of wheat
falls down and die, it remains only a single grain but when it dies, it bears
much fruit.” In other words, our greatest fear should not be death itself but falling
into sin. We shouldn’t see death as something bad but as a gateway, a ticket so
to say to greater glory. Once we overcome the fear of dying and are prepared to
die for our beliefs that is only when we begin to live as Christians.
We need to
change our attitude to death. The worst thing that can happen to me is not that
I die but that I give in to sin because I am trying to preserve my life. What is
there in this painful world that is never free of problems for which I should
compromise my faith? St. Paul says to us this morning thin sowing yields thin
reaping but he who sows in abundance will also reap in abundance. One gift I can
offer to God is the gift of my death.
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, may the fear of dying not
prevent me from walking in your light. Amen.
Good morning. Be Happy. Live
Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.
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