God provides opportunities - St. Lawrence

Feast of St. Lawrence – 2Cor. 9:6-10 / Ps.111(112) : 1-2, 5-9 / Jn.12:24-26.

"If someone prays with patience, you think God gives them patience?
or does He give them the opportunity to be patience?

If he prayed for courage does God gives them courage or does He gives them the opportunity to be courageous?

If someone prayed for the family to be closer, you think God is absent with warm fussy feelings or does He gives them the opportunities to love each other?"

This dialogue has touched many people. It is from the movie Evan Almighty. It is taken from the part where God - played by Morgan Freeman, speaks to Evan’s wife played by Lauren Graham. For some this might be a new phrase or thought. But for those familiar to Scriptures especially the writings of St. Paul will find this not new. St. Paul has written the same sentiments in many different ways in his letter to the churches. In today’s 1^st reading taken from 2Corinthians 9:6-10 we find it written in verse 10 in this way; “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.”

In this Chapter we find Paul urging the Corinthians to contribute to the needy. He says that since they have been blessed now it is their turn (an opportunity provided by God for them) to bless
others. “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.”- vs.8.

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Lawrence. He too, took the opportunity to be a witness for Christ through a Martyr’s death. He was basically barbecued! St. Lawrence who was a deacon around the year 258AD had a heart for the poor. He served them cheerfully. He is the perfect example of today’s 1^st reading.

When Emperor Valerian asked for the treasure of the church, Lawrence sold all the treasure for the benefit of the Christian poor and then presented the poor to the Emperor as the true treasures of Mother Church. The Emperor then put him to death. The story about his death goes, that after the martyr had suffered the pain of being grilled on the fire for a long time, he made his famous cheerful remark, "It is well done. Turn it over and eat it!"

Like St. Lawrence, God has given us opportunities to love him and be his witness. Look around us, there are many people in need and these are all opportunities for us to express our love and commitment to be his ‘deacons’ (which means ‘one who serves’). The Gospel today reminds us of our roles as servants; “If a man serves me, he must follow me…” Jn.12:26. Didn’t Jesus serve and helped those that came in his way?

Dear friends, have you ever wondered why suddenly in front of you, you see a blind man trying to cross the road or an elderly or pregnant woman looking for a place to sit in the bus and train? Why at that time and place, where we are, that there is someone in need of help? These are moments of opportunities provided by God for us.

God has given us many opportunities to love him and to serve him through our fellow sisters and brothers. He has given us opportunities to forgive and be forgiven, opportunities to love and be loved. Opportunities…opportunities…opportunities.

We thank God for the many opportunities and we pray for the grace to see the opportunities and make use of it. We also pray that like the wheat grain, we may fall to the ground (humble) and die (martyr i.e. witness) and yield a rich harvest for God - Jn.12:24. And our generosity would me multiplied in its effects like the ‘life dwelling’ in the seed.

Watch this clip for the whole scene of the dialogue above - the meaning for the flood.