Lord, help me to receive your abundant grace today

God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that . . . you may have an abundance for every good work

Openly following Jesus in third-century Rome was a risky business.   Emperor Valerian II was killing believers right and left.   Nonetheless, Lawrence, a deacon and trusted friend of Pope Sixtus II, continued his pastoral work with little concern for his own safety.

Eventually, the prefect of Rome ordered Lawrence to collect all of the Church’s treasures and hand them over.   But instead of gathering the Church’s wealth together, Lawrence distributed it to the sick and needy.   When the day came, he presented these poor people to the prefect, saying, “Here is the treasure of the Church.”

This bold move sealed Lawrence’s death sentence, but it didn’t take away his joy.   Legend has it that even as Lawrence was being burned alive on a gridiron, he said, “Turn me over, I’m done on this side.”   So just how did Lawrence face his death with so much courage and even good humor?

God made his grace “abundant” for Lawrence, and it enabled him to give of himself in a heroic way.   Probably long before this persecution began, Lawrence had developed a relationship with God.   He likely had experienced forgiveness and had begun to allow that grace to shape his character.   How else could he have the strength to stand up to the prefect so peacefully?

Most of us are not living with daily violent persecution like Lawrence did.   But we do face challenging situations every day.   We have many choices to make.   We can spend our day serving or expecting to be served.   We can choose to forgive or to lash out.   We can turn to Jesus or rely only on our own resources.   If we can get in the habit of asking God for grace first as we approach the small things of life, we will be so much better prepared when the big challenges come our way.

So take a look at your schedule today.   Ask God for the grace you need for each item on your agenda.   He delights in making his grace abundant for you, just as he did for Lawrence.

word among you