A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 12:24-26 Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.”
REFLECTION: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat;but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
We can agree that the greatest act of love by Jesus was dying on the Cross. He emphasized that for anyone to follow Him, they have to be willing to give up their lives. “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Today we celebrate the feast day of St Lawrence (224-258), Deacon and Patron of Cooks and the Poor . He died for Christ. He lived in a time of great persecution and turbulence. He was a good friend of Pope Sixtus II. When Emperor Valerian put to death the Pope, St Lawrence was asked to bring all the treasures of the Church to the Emperor.
Before he met with the Emperor, St Lawrence gave all the riches of the Church to the hungry, poor, widows and orphans of Rome. When he finally met with the Emperor he was asked to show him all the wealth of the Church. Emperor Valian was disappointed and very angry when St Lawrence brought in the poor, widows, orphans and the hungry saying, "These are the treasures of the Church". For his open defiance of the Emperor he was burned alive by being placed on a gridiron with coals beneath it. Legend has it that after he had been in pain for a long time, St Lawrence said, "It is well done. Turn me over!"
We follow the example of the saints. Their holiness came from a total response to Christ. We, too, can work toward our own holiness by putting others ahead of us, giving all our material things up for the sake of Jesus Christ and the souls of many.
God Bless You
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