Word to the Wise
Monday, August 10, 2015 - Aug. 10 - St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr
[2 Cor 9:6-10 and John 12:24-26]"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." [John]
Jesus' words about the seed falling into the ground and dying may have inspired the comment by St. Justin Martyr: "The blood of martyrs is the seedbed of the church." Both scriptures today speak of ultimate generosity as a seed which will multiply. The generosity of the Lord in undergoing martyrdom for the world is the model for all of Christianity, and many others have followed in his way! In fact, at one point, St. Polycarp had to beg Christians not to turn themselves in to the authorities in order to be martyred!
True martyrdom is not a hatred of life or a form of suicide! It is an assertion of the value of life but also a recognition that life is in service to something greater. Some martyrs became such because they took great risks to preach the gospel. The very word, "martyr," comes from a Greek word meaning "witness." In our own time, in the midst of the violence in the Middle East, there are new martyrs. St. Lawrence is said to have replied to the demands of the authorities for the "treasures" of the church by gathering the poor in his community and saying, "These are the treasures of the church." It is for them that he died. We celebrate his witness even if we pray it will not be necessary for anyone to undergo what he suffered. AMEN
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