Word to the Wise
Wednesday, August 10, 2022 - Aug. 10 - St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr
[2 Cor 9:6-10 and John 12:24-26]Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. [2 Corinthians] "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]
Martyrdom is not a thing of the past nor is it to be sought! I think it was St. Polycarp who had to tell some early Christians to stop turning themselves in to Roman magistrates in the hopes of being martyred because they thought it was a sure ticket to heaven! Heroic gestures are not the ordinary way of life, otherwise they would not be heroic!!
For the sake of the faith, persons may choose to risk their life but it is not certain their efforts will become lethal to them. St. Lawrence is celebrated as one of the early martyrs. I remember as a grade school kid in a Catholic school being taught that St. Lawrence was grilled over a fire and supposedly quipped to the executioners, "Turn me over, I'm done on this side!" A less gruesome legend about him concerns his reply to the Roman magistrate who demanded the church's treasures. Lawrence gathered the poor in the area and told the magistrate that the poor were the treasure of the church! He is justly remembered as a hero martyr. But, thank the Lord, the vast majority of us are not called to that.
Archbishop Romero, Fr. Stanley Rother, the Maryknoll sisters and the Jesuits in El Salvador are all examples of modern day martyrs. We rightly celebrate their heroism and sacrifice but we are not required to imitate them if we wish Christianity to continue to spread! AMEN