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| Seeds of Beauty and Truth |
Paul exhorts the Corinthians to model the generosity of God, Who cannot be outdone.
* [9:8–10] The behavior to which he exhorts them is grounded in God’s own pattern of behavior. God is capable of overwhelming generosity, as scripture itself attests (2 Cor 9:9), so that they need not fear being short. He will provide in abundance, both supplying their natural needs and increasing their righteousness. Paul challenges them to godlike generosity and reminds them of the fundamental motive for encouragement: God himself cannot be outdone.In the Gospel from John, Jesus prepares His disciples for the coming of His Hour by rejoicing in Life that comes from death to self.
* [12:24] This verse implies that through his death Jesus will be accessible to all. It remains just a grain of wheat: this saying is found in the synoptic triple and double traditions (Mk 8:35; Mt 16:25; Lk 9:24; Mt 10:39; Lk 17:33). John adds the phrases (Jn 12:25) in this world and for eternal life.Jay Carney shares some of the story of the martyrdom of Lawrence noting that all of us are called to be martyrs in a “small m” way, witnessing to God’s ordinary yet transformative work in our daily lives.
all of us are called to follow Jesus through diakonia or service, especially, as today’s Psalm reminds us, through gracious lending to those in need. It is to this life of self-sacrificing service that Lawrence stands as a faithful witness. At the end of this day, may we look back with Lawrence and say, “It is well-done.”St Lawrence is celebrated as the Saint of the Day in the post by Franciscan Media that notes we have a saint about whom almost nothing is known, yet one who has received extraordinary honor in the Church since the fourth century. The greatest fact of his life is certain: He died for Christ. We who are hungry for details about the lives of the saints are again reminded that their holiness was after all, a total response to Christ, expressed perfectly by a death like this.
The prefect was so angry he told Lawrence that he would indeed have his wish to die—but it would be by inches. He had a great gridiron prepared with coals beneath it, and had Lawrence’s body placed on it. After the martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his famous cheerful remark, “It is well done. Turn me over!”Don Schwager quotes Irenaeus, (135-202 A.D) on the seed that must die before being resurrected.
"A cutting from the vine planted in the ground bears fruit in its season, or a kernel of wheat falling into the earth and becoming decomposed rises and is multiplied by the Spirit of God, who contains all things. And then, through the wisdom of God, it serves for our use when, after receiving the Word of God, it becomes the Eucharist, which is the body and blood of Christ. In the same way our bodies, being nourished by it, and deposited in the earth and suffering decomposition there, shall rise at their appointed time. The Word of God grants them resurrection to the glory of God, even the Father who freely gives to this mortal immortality, and to this corruptible incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:53). This is so because the strength of God is made perfect in weakness (1 Corinthians 15:43; 2 Corinthians 13:4) in order that we may never become puffed up, as if we had life from ourselves, or become exalted against God with ungrateful minds." (excerpt from AGAINST HERESIES 5.2.3)The Word Among Us Meditation on John 12:24-26 comments that as he served, Lawrence became more and more like Jesus until he took on the final likeness: death in the service of God’s people.
Your acts of service may feel monotonous or insignificant, especially when it comes to the people under your own roof. But your family is a real “treasure” of the Church. Like Lawrence, your simple efforts to provide for them, to prepare meals for them, or to create a welcoming home environment can help make you more like Jesus. With every little “death” to selfishness, you can bear much fruit for God.Friar Jude Winkler comments on the cheerful giver and the needs of the poor, Lawrence, the deacon, brought the “treasures” of the Church to the prefect as the people who followed Christ. We consider the role of social charity and willingness to die for the faith in the Church today.
Frances Hogan reflects on how God transforms our present suffering using the words of Psalm 126.
To express their prayer the psalmist uses the image of sowing and reaping. In the ancient world the time of sowing seed was considered to be a time of mourning, while the reaping of the harvest was the time for rejoicing. It was the dying and rising theme as seen in nature. Through it the people expressed their faith in the life-giving power of God, who transforms our present sufferings by showing us the way through them to future hope – God’s way of leading us from darkness to light (see Isaiah 44:3).
* [Psalm 112] An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111.A Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that in 1969 when he was a young deacon in Acoma Pueblo, one of his jobs was to take the census. Because it was summer and hot, he would start early in the morning, driving his little orange truck to each residence. Invariably at sunrise, he would see a mother outside the door of her home, with her children standing beside her. She and the children would be reaching out with both hands uplifted to “scoop” up the new day and then “pour” it over their heads and bodies as if in blessing. He would sit in my truck until they were finished, thinking how silly it was of Franciscans to think they brought religion to New Mexico 400 years ago!
Looking for beauty all around us is a contemplative practice, an exercise in opening our hearts, minds, and bodies to the divine image. In indigenous traditions, such opening practices often take the form of dance, drumming, song, and trance, embodied forms that Western, and particularly Euro-centric, Christianity has neglected.The life of the gracious giver may not avoid trauma and tragedy. The practice of seeking beauty and truth opens our being to the Spirit and fullness of Life.
References
(n.d.). IV. Paul's Defense of His Ministry. Retrieved August 10, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/2corinthians9.htm
(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 112 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved August 10, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/112
(n.d.). John, chapter 12 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved August 10, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/12
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved August 10, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Saint Lawrence – Franciscan Media. Retrieved August 10, 2018, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-lawrence/
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 10, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved August 10, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Psalm 126 - Frances Hogan. Retrieved August 10, 2018, from http://www.franceshogan.com/Assets/books/Psalms%20of%20praise/Psalm126.html
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 10, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/
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