One Minute Reflection – 10 August – Feast of St Lawrence, Martyr (died 258) – Today’s Gospel: John 12:24–26
“If anyone serves me, he must follow me and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honour him.”…John 12:26
REFLECTION – “Dear brothers, your faith recognises this seed fallen into the earth that death has multiplied. Your faith recognises it because it dwells in your hearts. No christian hesitates to believe what Christ said of Himself. But when this seed died and multiplied, many seeds were scattered on the earth. Saint Lawrence is one of them and today we celebrate the day when he was sown. We see what a tremendous harvest has sprung up from all those seeds scattered over all the earth and the sight fills us with joy, provided only that we ourselves belong to God’s grain store, by His grace.
For not everything that is harvested goes into the grain store. The same necessary and fruitful rain causes both good seed and straw to grow but we don’t store both of them in the barn. Now is the time for us to choose… Listen to me, you holy seed, for I have no doubt that it is here in abundance… Listen to me or, rather, listen to Him in me who was first called a good seed. Do not love your life in this world! If you truly love yourselves do not thus love your life and then you will save your life!.. “Whoever loves his life in this world will lose it.” It is the good seed who said that: the seed thrown into the ground who died that He might bear much fruit. Listen to Him because as He speaks so has He done. He both teaches us and shows us the way by example.
Christ wasn’t attached to the life of this world. He came into the world to be stripped of Himself, to give His life and take it up again when He willed… He, the true man, is true God, a sinless man that He might take away the sin of the world, clothed with power so great that He could truly say: “I have power to lay down my life and power to take it up again. No one can take it from me; it is I who lay it down and I who take it up again” (Jn 10,18)…. St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church (Sermon 305)
PRAYER – Lord God, You inspired St Lawrence with so ardent a love that his life was renowned for the service of Your people and his death for the splendour of his martyrdom. Help us to love what he loved and to life as he showed us. St Lawrence, Martyr for Christ and His Church, pray for us. Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever amen.
AnaStpaul 