Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr. Lawrence was one of the seven deacons in Rome during the persecution of the Christians by emperor Valerian in the year 258 AD. He was responsible for the church’s monies, and he was in charge of ministering to the poor whose patron saint he has become. He died a very painful death of being grilled on a fire – like goat meat, and somehow, he has become the patron saint of cooks!
St. Lawrence was generous to a fault. He was extremely kind, especially to the poor. He was radically committed to service of those on the margins of society; and he was totally devoted to God and to those whom God cares so much about.
The life of St. Lawrence embodied the readings we heard today – readings that speak about generosity, and a dying to ourselves so that something new can be birthed.
The first reading says, “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. And he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” The reading encourages us never give out of compulsion, but rather give out of love, out of generosity, out of compassion, give out of thanksgiving for what God has done in your life. Many of us owe God a debt for the blessings we have received in our personal lives. For the blessings we have received in our families and in our ministries. Our lives are standing testimonies of the ways God has been good to us.
This reading challenges us to move in the direction of generosity. It challenges us to be attentive to the needs of our neighbors and it invites us to find ways of responding to such needs. This reading invites us to consider the work of God and find ways of supporting it. Supporting it with our time, with our talent, and with our treasure as a form of Thanksgiving or gratitude to God. A little book described three kinds of givers:
We are invited to be Thanks Givers, who share our time, talent, and treasure because of the many blessings we have received from God. The Psalmist reminds us of that too when he says that, "Blessed are those who lavishly give to the poor. They will experience a generosity that endures forever. Their descendants shall be mighty upon the earth.”
The last thought we have is drawn from the gospel. Jesus says, “Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”
Generosity requires some form of a dying to ourselves. We have to die to:
The life of St Lawrence and the readings this afternoon offer us a usable template on what it means to be generous, to be kind, to be committed, and to be devoted to God.
May we ask in this Mass for the grace each one of us needs to mirror St. Lawrence, and to live out the message that he faithfully lived.
Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C. is the President of Holy Cross Family Ministries. Father Fred, a native of Uganda, has multiple degrees including theology, philosophy, and communications. His native language is Lusoga and he speaks English, Luganda, Kiswahili, and Rutooro. He has been a teacher, researcher, author and family minister. Father Fred is committed to helping build God’s masterpiece one family at a time.
