SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Friday - August 10, 2018

Friday - August 10, 2018

Actions speak louder than words;

let your words teach and your actions speak.

-Saint Anthony of Padua

 

August 10, 2018

 

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Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
Lectionary: 618

Reading 12 COR 9:6-10

Brothers and sisters:
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.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.
As it is written:

He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.

The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will supply and multiply your seed
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

Responsorial PsalmPS 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9

R. (5) Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Lavishly he gives to the poor, 
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

AlleluiaJN 8:12BC

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness
but will have the light of life, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelJN 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."

 

 

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What are you doing with your treasures?

Saint Lawrence, whose Feast Day we celebrate today, protected the Church's money from the Roman Empire by giving it to the poor. When the greedy prefect of Rome demanded the Church's treasures, Saint Lawrence presented to him the poor and the sick, announcing, "This is the Church's treasure!"

In today's first reading, we're challenged to consider what is and is not truly a treasure for us. What do you sow bountifully? This is your treasure. It is God's grace gifting you with a value that you are called to share with the world to help spread his kingdom.

We may think we need to hang on tightly to our treasures so that we won't lose them, but that's not what we really value. We share what we value. For example, did you ever go to a good movie and then tell others about it? Have you been sharing these Good News Reflections with others? See what I mean? We share what we value.

When we share the treasures of God, this is when it gets really exciting. The more generously we sow what he gives, the more we reap so that we can become even more generous. It's Economic Principle #1 of the Kingdom of God.

Today's responsorial psalm describes it as a "lavish" generosity. But it requires dying to self, as Jesus says in the Gospel reading. We have to die to our fears, especially the fear that if we give away our treasures like ordinary seeds, we'll run out of them and reap nothing. We have to stop sowing greed and selfishness. We have to die to our desire to attach strings to our seeds (for example: "I will share my money with you -- or the Church or whatever -- but only if you spend it the way I think you should"). Imagine a field of seedlings with strings attached to a tractor to help them grow in the right direction!

My husband Ralph and I first learned the joy of God's Economic Principle #1 way back in 1979. We were selling our house so that we could move to a job in another state. After hearing about a man who needed a car so that he could work, we gave him a car that we'd been hoping to sell for $200 (a huge value to us at the time). After giving the car away, we sold our house for $2000 more than expected!

Ralph and I have been sowing treasures ever since. It's not always easy. The harvest we reap is not always what we expect or desire, but it's all a blessing to God and from God. Whether it's financial donations, or time, or talents, or prayers, or a listening ministry, or comfort for the afflicted, or a smile when we don't feel like smiling, it's a very valuable treasure. And it's meant to be shared.

We are full of treasures, no matter how poor we are, and when we share them with others, we realize that we ourselves are a gift that God has chosen to share. We are some of the Church's most valuable treasures! What are you doing with the treasure that is you?

Today's Prayer

Lord: You know how attached to myself I am! Today I surrender that to You, knowing that You will take it and You'll become stronger in my weakness. Amen.

God Bless You.....

Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”