SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Tuesday - August 10, 2021

Tuesday - August 10, 2021

"If only mortals would learn how great it is to possess divine grace, how beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides within itself, how many joys and delights! No one would complain about his cross or about troubles that may happen to him, if he would come to know the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed to men."

~~St. Rose of lima

August 10, 2021

Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
Lectionary: 618

 

Reading 1                                                     2 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 Psalm                                              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.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Jn 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.

 

Gospel                                                                       Jn 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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DISTRIBUTORS OF GOD'S ABUNDANCE

Our first reading today emphasizes how important, how holy, how essential it is to be generous. So then, why do we have such difficulty with taking risks in generosity? It's because we think, consciously or unconsciously: "God cannot or will not multiply his favors for me, he is not able to make every grace abundant for me. Maybe for someone else, but not me."

 

Jesus says in today's Gospel reading that to produce much fruit, we have to be like a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies. To be generous, what has to fall into the soil and die is our fear that we'll be too generous, i.e., that God will not be equally generous with us when it's our own time of need.

 

Let's turn our perspective around. We assume that these verses from 2nd Corinthians mean: "I'm supposed to be generous; therefore, if I am generous, God won't let me end up homeless and starving." But that's scary, and it's not what these verses are saying. It's the reverse: "I'm supposed to be generous; therefore God will give me an abundance of whatever he wants me to give away."

 

Ahhh, that gets us off the hook, right? If we don't have an abundance, we can keep what we do have for ourselves. Oops! The world has conditioned us to feel dissatisfied with however much we have. In reality, we have much more than we think we do.

 

Look at what he's given you. There are others who don't have as much.

 

If you're able to pay all the bills that are necessary for the basic needs of life, and if you have anything left over, God has chosen you to be his partner in distributing his wealth. If you're growing vegetables in your garden, enjoy giving it out to your neighbors as a distributor of God's harvest. If you've got time for daytime television shows, you are the answer to prayer for those who are short on time.

 

What else has he given to you abundantly? Love, insights, wisdom, valuable learning experiences, whatever you're talented in, the training you've had, perhaps even a swimming pool and a barbecue grill for parties, or a house with unused bedrooms.

 

When someone asks God for help and no help comes, it's not because God has failed. It's because we who have been given what they need are failing to do our job as distributors of his abundance.

 

Jesus, who multiplied bread and fish, multiplies our gifts so that we have enough to share. Jesus meets our needs and makes plenty of leftovers for others.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Beloved Lord Jesus: You know that many times my agenda and my passions take control of my life. I surrender to You my mind and my senses so that, placed in You and free from my limitations, they may follow our Father's perfect paths. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

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