Daily Gospel Reflection for August 10, 2016 - St. Lawrence

Today's Gospel: John 12, 24-26 - St. Lawrence

Watermelon, apples, pumpkin... these are things that I love, but after they have matured from the humble beginnings of being a seed. After the seed has been placed in the ground, watered, and seen the light, it grows. Eventually it grows to the point where it nourishes others with its nutrients, and is able to produce more seeds for more fruit.

This is what Jesus is seeking in today’s Gospel. He wants us to stop being a seed, and become the nourishing fruit we are capable of being. We must be able to help others and form new seeds to grow. It’s very much like the very hungry caterpillar in Eric Carle’s book (or any caterpillar). Imagine if a caterpillar refused to stop being a caterpillar... we would have no butterflies.

St. Lawrence, today’s patron, understood this. When St. Pope Sixtus, who he was serving, was sentenced to death, he believed his death would soon follow. He donated all of the wealth the church had to the poor. When was then forced to turn over the Church’s “treasure,” he gathered the local sick and poor, calling them the “Church’s Treasure.” The authorities were not amused and sentenced him to his martydom. St. Lawrence he freely and joyfully accepted this punishment, knowing that his eternal life would be far greater in heaven then on earth.

We can prepare for our eternal life by stopping the things that prevent us from being one with God. We must lose the life that we feel we control, and give our life totally to our Lord. When we do this, He uses us in the best way to produce the most fruit. This requires faith and trust, but eternity is well worth it.

Ponder:

What in your life is preventing you from truly being God’s servant? What must you let go?

Pray:

Lord, please help me let go of the things that prevent me from truly giving my life to the Lord and trust the Lord’s guidance when asks me to serve Him.

Copyright 2016 Joe Weyers

Joe Weyers is a husband, father, and social media evangelist. His apostolate, The Agora 47, “Shares the Catholic Faith in the Online World,” by providing social media content to Catholic churches & organizations. Joe wrote the film guide to the recently released “Full of Grace,” and speaks about his faith, youth ministry or social media at numerous events throughout the year. He can be found on Twitter @JoeWeyers.