Word to the Wise
Saturday, August 10, 2013 - 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 produced much fruit.
There are two legends about the deacon martyr, Lawrence, that have endured. The first recounts that Lawrence was burned to death on a metal grill of some sort, and during the process, he called out to the executioner, "Turn me over, I'm done on this side!" The second legend concerns his trial in which he was ordered to turn over all the treasures at his church. He called all the poor people of the community and pointed to them as the "treasures of the church."
It seems from these two legends that Lawrence had a sense of humor and a sense of perspective. One of my principal ministries involves giving retreats to Permanent Deacons and their spouses. I learn much from them about the way folks in the pew see the church. Their perspective and their sense of humor is valuable. They need it in order to survive changes in pastors and the rather theologically undeveloped foundation for the Permanent Diaconate that has persisted since the Second Vatican Council restored the "order." The formation process demands a great deal of them, especially of those who do not have a college education and haven't studied in a formal sense after high school. The wives, too, must be involved in their vocation in an active ministerial way.
On this feast of St. Lawrence, I salute the Permanent Deacons and their spouses, and hope they can keep their sense of humor and their healthy perspective in their ministry! AMEN