Daily Gospel Reflection - Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

Daily Gospel Reflection - Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

Daily Gospel Reflection Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr August 

August 10, 2021 

Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr 

Gospel: Ga 12:24-26 

As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were overwhelmed with grief. When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes,” he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?” When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt. But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you.” 

Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 

Bishop Robert Barron 

Friends, our Gospel for today contains one of the most beautiful and terrible summations of the Christian message: "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." 

And now this one upon whom the crowds had pinned their hopes is speaking of falling to the earth and dying. And then it gets stranger. "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in the world will preserve it for eternal life." Come again?! 

Just when we are raising you up, Jesus, you’re talking about falling down; just when we are seeing how your life has come to its fulfillment, you’re talking about hating this life. 

To understand what all this means, we should go back to the grain of wheat that falls to the earth. A seed’s life is inside, yes, but it’s a life that grows by being given away and mixing with the soil around it. It has to crack open, be destroyed. 

Jesus’ sign is the sign of the cross, the death that leads to transfiguration.