20220810 CHURCH OF THE POOR
10 August, 2022, Wednesday, St Lawrence, Deacon, Martyr
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.’
CHURCH OF THE POOR
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. He was a deacon, martyred in 258 during the persecution of Emperor Valerian. Under the Pontificate of Pope Sixtus II, Lawrence was asked to hand over the Church’s treasure to the Prefect of Rome. Instead, he assembled the poor together and presented to the Prefect as the real treasures of the Church. For this insult to the Prefect, he was grilled to death slowly on a gridiron. Such was the courage of Lawrence, his love for God expressed by his love for the poor. St Lawrence not only assisted in the sacrifice of the Mass by administering the sacred chalice of Christ’s blood, but he literally offered his own body and shed his blood for our Lord.
Indeed, the responsorial psalm describes St Lawrence in a fitting manner. “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. 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. Open-handed, he gives to the poor; his justice stands firm for ever. His head will be raised in glory.” St Lawrence gave his life for the gospel and for the poor. Following Jesus, he was like that wheat grain that falls on the ground and dies. But because he died, he yielded a rich harvest. And the promise of our Lord is certain, “Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for 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.” This is why we celebrate the martyrdom of St Lawrence today. Today was his entry into heaven, where he is now with the Risen Lord.
Although we are not all called to martyrdom in the same way as Lawrence, we are called to be generous like him in giving our lives for the service of others; and to sacrifice our gifts and resources for His people. Like Lawrence, we are called to sow bountifully so that we can reap abundantly. St Paul wrote, “Thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap.” We are called to sow His love and mercy wherever we are, especially to those who are suffering, vulnerable and weak. By emptying ourselves, our time, our energy, our talents and our resources, we will gain great blessings from the Lord. St Paul assures us, “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.”
But some of us might wonder whether we can find the capacity to give. We never feel that we have enough for ourselves, how then do we give to others? Even rich people think that they do not have enough and so they want to make more and more money. We will never have enough, not even the archdiocese of Singapore! We have our financial constraints in maintaining our churches, our workers and our priests. We dare not even venture into building new churches. But many other poorer dioceses and NGOs are looking towards the Church for financial and material help, especially when they face hunger, poverty, natural disasters and illnesses. We constantly receive requests from bishops, priests, religious and NGOs for help for every cause they are pursuing. But this feeling of incapacity and inadequacy is not confined to providing for the materially poor; it also concerns our own capacity to give or to serve because we feel we are not qualified enough.
This is where we can take a page from Pope Francis when he began his pontificate by declaring that he wants a Church that is poor and a Church that is for the poor. What does it mean to be a Church that is poor? Surely, it cannot mean that the Holy Father is advocating that the Church be deprived of material needs, suffer hunger and illnesses. Such kind of poverty is not in line with the gospel. God wants to give us His blessings, not just spiritual but also material blessings as well. God wants us all to enjoy the gifts of His creation. God does not intend for us to suffer and be hungry or be without the basic needs of life. This is why we need to clarify what it means to be a Church that is poor. Being a poor Church means that we live in such a way that we are dependent on God for all we have. We live in a spirit of poverty as the Lord taught us in the Beatitudes. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:3) In other words, we must live in such a way that everything we have comes from Him and everything we do, depends on Him and His grace.
When we are poor, that is, we recognize that everything we have comes from Him, then we will be grateful for whatever the Lord has blessed us with. When we are conscious that what we have belong to God, we will not hoard for ourselves or use them only for our own pleasure and self-gratification. We will use them for the service of others, to share with those who have not because we know that we are only stewards of God’s gifts. God has blessed us with His gifts so that we can use them for His people, especially for those who are poor. Indeed, St Paul tells us what this poverty of spirit, of being a Church of the poor, entails, by trusting in God who will bless us with the capacity to give and not from our own selves. He 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.”
To be a Church of the poor also means that we must be identified with the poor. Without being identified with them in their sufferings and their pain, we will not be able to feel with them. This explains why Pope Francis tells us that we must be in the forefront of the battlefield and get our boots dirtied by the mud. Unless we are with the poor, sharing their lives and their poverty and their struggles, we will not have enough empathy for sympathy and compassion. To be a Church of the poor requires us to be one of them so that being identified with them, we know what it is like to be poor and deprived. Identification leads to compassion and action. Accordingly, the Holy Father wants us to live simply and not be part of the throw-away culture. When we spend money on unnecessary things, on expensive items and bags and clothes, it is an opportunity cost in serving the poor. We should be discerning how we use our resources, wisely, for our well-being, our loved ones and for others. We must be careful of falling into a consumerist spirit.
Within this context of being the Church of the poor, then the principle of St Paul can readily be applied. “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.” The poor are always with us. There are so many causes to give. So whom do we give, how do we give and where do we give? This calls for discernment. We give not for publicity or for show. This is why St Paul tells us that this giving has to be made individually before God, not under pressure or motivated by vanity or popularity. We must search deep in our hearts where the Lord is asking us to render assistance. God inspires different people differently to minister to the needs of the poor. St Teresa of Calcutta and her missionary sisters and brothers choose to serve the poorest of the poor. But there are other groups that serve the sick, feed the hungry, cloth the naked, provide education, visit those in prison, fight for the oppressed, etc. All temporal works of mercy as mentioned in the gospel of Matthew 25, including the burial of the dead, are recommended by the Church.
Today, as we celebrate the Feast of St Lawrence, let us pray that we will also be courageous and be generous in reaching out to the poor and suffering. Pope Francis wants us not just to be a Church for the poor because it might be adopting a condescending attitude but to be a Church of the poor like St Lawrence. We must never forget that giving is not restricted only to those who are rich. Even the poor can give! Those of us who give materially, emotionally, physically and spiritually in turn are blessed by them. They give us a joy, a sense of purpose, a liberating love that no amount of money can buy. So whether we are rich or poor, we belong to the Church of the poor. We have something to give. And those who give in turn as St Paul wrote, are blessed by God in different ways.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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