Before being canonized
as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Lawrence was a deacon serving in Rome. When a wave of violent persecution broke out,
Pope Sixtus and others were killed. Lawrence
knew it was only a matter of time before they would come for him. As
keeper of the church’s goods, he was responsible for giving alms to the poor.
At that point, he started distributing them more generously than ever.
It wasn’t very long
before Lawrence was summoned by government officials who demanded that he
surrender the church’s treasure. He replied that the church was
quite rich and requested three days to get everything in order.
When Roman officials
arrived at his church, they expected it to be filled with silver and
gold. Instead, it was packed with the poor, the blind, the lame and the
lepers. “Here are the treasures of the church,” declared Lawrence with
spiritual authority. As you might expect, the officials were furious and
Lawrence was executed in the year 258 A.D.
What a courageous and
wise man! Lawrence was absolutely right about the treasures of the
church. As the Body of Christ, we have significance and value that
transcends economics, circumstances and social standing.
It goes without saying
that the greatest treasure of the church is THE HOLY SPIRIT. (II Corinthians 4:7) Nevertheless, since HE dwells within and
grants us the privilege of serving as ‘divine hands and feet’ in the earth
realm, we, by extension and proximity, are true treasures indeed.
Who will you touch and
treasure today?
Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed and please (above all else)
MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET YOUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!
No comments:
Post a Comment