Saturday 10 August 2024
St Lawrence. 2 Corinthians 9:6-10. Happy the merciful who give to those in need – Psalm 111(112):1-2, 5-9. John 12:24-26.
It is in giving that we receive
‘Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone.’ The image is of seeds being sown under the soil, ceasing to be what they were and becoming through ‘death’ something of marvellous super-abundance. It is almost a paradox. When the Broadway musical Funny Girl was being rehearsed, some of the creative team questioned the lyric, ‘People who need people/ Are the luckiest people in the world’. But the lyricist understood something of the parable Jesus speaks here: rather than cling jealously to one’s own autonomy, a person can only benefit from opening themselves to others. The two main characters, each of whom put up masks to conceal their true feelings from the world, needed to learn this lesson. The prayer of St Francis of Assisi reflects today’s Gospel too: ‘It is in giving we receive . . . it is in dying we are born to eternal life.’
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