20200810 EUCHARIST AND CHARITY
10 August, 2020, Monday, St Lawrence, Deacon & Martyr
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Red.
First reading |
2 Corinthians 9:6-10 © |
God loves a cheerful giver
Do not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap. Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you – he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works. As scripture says: He was free in almsgiving, and gave to the poor: his good deeds will never be forgotten.
The one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide you with all the seed you want and make the harvest of your good deeds a larger one.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 111(112):1-2,5-9 © |
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
Happy the man who fears the Lord,
who takes delight in all his commands.
His sons will be powerful on earth;
the children of the upright are blessed.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
The good man takes pity and lends,
he conducts his affairs with honour.
The just man will never waver:
he will be remembered for ever.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
He has no fear of evil news;
with a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.
With a steadfast heart he will not fear;
he will see the downfall of his foes.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
Open-handed, he gives to the poor;
his justice stands firm for ever.
His head will be raised in glory.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn8:12bc |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 12:24-26 © |
If a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it yields a rich harvest
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I tell you, most solemnly,
unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies,
it remains only a single grain;
but if it dies,
it yields a rich harvest.
Anyone who loves his life loses it;
anyone who hates his life in this world
will keep it for the eternal life.
If a man serves me, he must follow me,
wherever I am, my servant will be there too.
If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.’
EUCHARIST AND CHARITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Cor 9:6-10; Ps 112:1-2, 5-9; Jn 12:24-26 ]
Today, we celebrate the Feast of St Lawrence, deacon and martyr of the Church. What we learn most from St Lawrence is the intrinsic relationship between the Eucharist and charity. St Lawrence was one of the seven archdeacons in Rome. He was ordained not just to serve at the Altar but more importantly to take charge of material goods of the Church and distributing them to the poor. Indeed, this is the primary work of a deacon. A deacon simply means a servant. That is why the vestment of a deacon is that of a servant who serves. The appointment of deacons at the beginning of the Church, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 6:1-6), was to serve the poor so that the apostles could devote their lives to prayer and the ministry of the Word.
Deacons are to assist the bishop and priests in a specific way. Indeed, it would be wrong to think that deacons are second-class priests. Many today think that married deacons are the way to overcome the shortage of priests. Since they are married and they cannot become priests, the next best thing they can do is be deacons. They can do most of the work of a priest except to celebrate Mass, administer the sacrament of the sick and hear confessions. The truth is that the primary work of a deacon is not at the altar. This is the work of the priest. He is only to assist, help but not replace. His primary work is to care for the poor. By extension, he is to take charge of the material dimensions of the Church, especially in the work of charity. The irony today is that some priests are delegating their work to the deacons whilst they spend more time taking care of the routine and material aspects of the church, and neglecting the preaching of the Word of God, the celebration of the Sacraments and their own prayer life!
In celebrating this feast, we reflect on the close relationship between service at the altar, that is, the Eucharist, and service to the poor. The two dimensions of the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and the works of charity, are intrinsically related. The primacy of this relationship of course is the Eucharist. From the celebration of the Eucharist, one expresses his faith concretely in service to the poor, the community and the nation. Eucharist must always lead to self-sacrificing service. Indeed, St Augustine said of St Lawrence, “In that Church, he performed the office of deacon; it was there that he administered the sacred chalice of Christ’s blood; there that he shed his own blood for the name of Christ.”
St Lawrence understood that the Eucharist was not merely a ritual that he participated and received each day. For St Lawrence, to celebrate the Eucharist is to share in Christ’s death and resurrection. This was what Jesus said, “I tell you most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life.” To drink His blood and to eat His flesh means that we must also give up our lives for the service of others. When we contemplate on the self-giving of Jesus, first of His divinity, then sharing in our human lowliness, to the extent of shamefully dying on the cross for our salvation, we cannot remain indifferent to this invitation to join Him in death so that we can join Him in life. St Paul wrote, “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.” (2 Cor 5:14f) Consequently, St Lawrence, having received Christ, loved Him and imitated Him in giving himself even unto death for the poor and the suffering, just as Christ did. The Eucharist, therefore, was not just simply a ceremony he celebrated but he lived out the memorial of Jesus’ passion and death in his sacrifice for the Church and for the poor. We, too, must do likewise and not separate the Eucharist from our calling to die with Christ each day, as the gospel tells us. Only by dying with Him, can we live.
Secondly, to share in the Eucharist means to be identified with the Church, the Body of Christ. St Lawrence was identified with the Church. He gave his entire life for the service of the Church and most of all, to the poor whom Christ loved. Legend gave an account of how Lawrence, knowing that he would be arrested by the Roman authorities, quickly sold all the sacred vessels of the Church and gave all the money to the poor. When the Prefect of Rome heard that the Church had plenty of treasures, he summoned Lawrence to give the treasures to the Emperor to finance his army. Lawrence asked for a few days to gather the treasures for the Emperor. When that day came, he brought with him the blind, the lame, the orphaned, the widows and even the lepers, and said to the Prefect, “These are the treasures of the Church.” This act infuriated the Perfect and he had him slowly barbecued to death.
This story is significant because what Lawrence said is so true. The poor are the treasures of the Church! Indeed, the poor reminds us all that we are always poor. Whatever we have comes from God. All the blessings we have received come from Him alone. This is the reason why we must think of the poor and care for them. Just as we have received freely, we must give freely. (Mt 10:8) St Paul reminds us to, “For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (2 Cor 8:9) Now if we are rich, or have more than enough, we too must share our goods with those who do not have.
In giving to the poor, we find life. This is what St Paul reminds us in the second reading. “Thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap.” When we use our life for the service of others, we find more meaning in life. It is not enough to “excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you” but also in generous giving. (2 Cor 8:7) When we are generous in giving ourselves, we grow in love and cultivate beautiful relationships. What is the use of having so many gifts, whether personal or material wealth, when we are poor in love? We can take care of our life by protecting ourselves. Some are afraid to use too much of their energy for fear that they might die. They just want to live an easy life, without much problems or stress or sacrifices needed. One can extend the duration of one’s life but one would not have lived. Living is different from existing. The only way to live is to offer ourselves as a libation for others as St Paul did. When we make of ourselves a living sacrifice, we will live a rich and meaningful life which no amount of money or pleasure can buy. We find our life so fulfilling.
The paradox is that the more we give; the more the Lord will bless us in return. St Paul wrote, “there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you – he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works.” When we love and serve others, by our example we will inspire others to join us. They too will come to offer their wealth and services to help us to continue the work we are doing. Love and charity always inspire people to open their hearts to give as well. The more we give, the more we receive so that we can give even more. We will never be short of resources. As Paul said, “The one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide you with all the seed you want and make the harvest of your good deeds a larger one.” And as we give, our life becomes even richer and more meaningful.
However, we can do all this only if we remain connected to our Lord in the Eucharist. This is the secret of charity, contemplating on the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord. A greater love for the Eucharist will give us a greater capacity to give ourselves. This is why Catholic charity cannot be reduced to mere humanitarian services. Catholic social workers must find their source, strength and motivation to give themselves to the poor following the example of Christ. On the other hand, even as we serve the poor, we must not short-change them in just giving them material needs without offering them the gift of Christ. When we fail to announce the name of Christ, we are doing a great disfavour to the poor because happiness is more than just material fulfilment but a spiritual fulfilment of knowing that Christ is our Saviour and that eternal life is awaiting us after this life on earth.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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