Where I am, My Servant will be

Homily for the Feast of St. Lawrence

Today we celebrate the feast of the Roman Archdeacon, St. Lawrence of Rome, who was martyred in the year 258 A.D. One of the famous stories surrounding his legend is that he presented the city’s poor to the magistrate in response to that official’s order to bring him the riches of the Church. This did not please the magistrate, as one could imagine, and it was a contributing factor to St. Lawrence’s martyrdom.

What riches would we present if asked by a public official? Whoever loves his life loses it, says the Lord, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Certainly nothing that the Lord has given us is worth more than our life itself. No earthly treasure could compare to that of each and every human being created in the image and likeness of God. In addition, each soul has a wealth of riches in grace, virtue, and the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. It is not that we are to hate the gift of our life, but to love it only insofar as it is a gift, meant for expression through acts of generosity and self-sacrifice.

Would we consider the value of faith and persons, especially the lowly of our society, as “the wealth of the Church”? It was ingenious of St. Lawrence, if not a bit cheeky, to so publicly demonstrate the essence of the Christian ethos: love of neighbor in the name of Jesus Christ.

We demonstrate our commitment to that ethos in this act of worship. Whoever serves me must follow me, Jesus says, and where I am, there also will my servant be. In our confession of sin, profession of faith, reception of the Word, and participation in the sacrament of the Eucharist, we announce to everyone who would demand accounting, this is where our treasure is. Here is our treasure on earth; and here is the treasure we will share in the eternal kingdom.