The Gospel for The feast of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr is taken from St. John 12, chapter 2426. 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. 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. One might wonder how Jesus kept his own sense of humility when he was so powerful in the eyes of other people.

And he knows how that is a weakness of human nature. And he was so conscious that everything he did, he did because of God in him. He wasn’t doing these things on his own. And the death that we have to go through is to recognize when we say to God, I want to minister to your people. We have to understand we’re asking him to minister through us. That’s the mystery, God working through us, bringing life to the world.

Closing prayer Father, awaken us to the great mystery that you so clearly long for us to have a life like yours, filled with divinity, accomplishing the work of the Father. It’s not our work, but it’s always God working through us. Amen.