“Let my body be turned...!”

“Let my body be turned...!”  - St. Lawrence

            Jesus in today’s gospel (John 12:24-26) presents to us an analogy of living and dying. In dying to oneself especially of our being conceited, self-centered and individualistic, a new life develops. Every human person is like a grain of wheat that falls to the earth and dies. It is in dying that life produces much fruit. Take the example of Jesus.

            The analogy of living and dying is also exemplified by St. Lawrence, the saint we honor today. Saint Lawrence was Chief of the seven deacons of Rome, a Spaniard by birth and was in charge of diocesan properties and charities.

            In the year 258 Pope Sixtus II was led out to die by the Romans. We are told, in the first place, that when the pope was seized, Lawrence accompanied him and asked, with tears in his eyes, “Father, where are you going without your deacon?” The pope answered, “You shall follow me in three days.”

            Inspired by this prophecy, the deacon prepared for death by distributing among the poor all the church funds he had on hand, even adding to that welfare fund by selling some of the sacred vessels. When the prefect of Rome learned of this distribution, he concluded that the Christians were very wealthy. So he summoned Lawrence and ordered him to turn over the church’s treasures, to be added to the fund supporting the Roman army. Lawrence asked only for a few days (three days) to make an “inventory” of church possessions before he presented them. When three days were up, the deacon returned to the prefect accompanied by a large crowd of his poor: the blind, the orphaned, the aged, the lepers, the crippled, the widows and the maidens. “These,” he said to the prefect “are the treasures of the church." The prefect was furious with Lawrence’s answer. At once he arrested him and condemned him to death by roasting alive on a grill (gridiron).

            The story goes on to say that the deacon did not hesitate at one point in his torture to tell his executioners, “Let my body be turned; one side is broiled enough!” what a saint! His death and example led the conversion of Rome that signaled the end of paganism in the city. For us there is no need that we have to follow literally what St. Lawrence did, died a martyr’s death. Each one of us has the capacity to do good and to show kindness to one another. Our acts of kindness might be insignificant but at least we have contributed in making our world a better place to live in.