SATURDAY, AUGUST 10TH 2024.

EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.

FEAST OF SAINT LAWRENCE, Deacon & Martyr.

FIRST READING      
“God loves a cheerful giver.”
2ND CORINTHIANS 9: 6b – 10

Brethren: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever.” He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

The Word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 112: 1b – 2, 5 – 6, 7 – 8, 9 (R.) 5a.

R/. It goes well for the man who deals generously and lends.

Blessed the man who fears the Lord,
who takes great delight in his commandments.
His descendants shall be powerful on earth;
the generation of the upright will be blest. R/.

It goes well for the man who deals generously and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
He will never be moved;
for ever shall the just be remembered. R/.

He has no fear of evil news;
with a firm heart, he trusts in the Lord.
With a steadfast heart he will not fear;
he will see the downfall of his foes. R/.

Open-handed, he gives to the poor;
his justice stands firm for ever.
His might shall be exalted in glory. R/.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION 
John 8: 12

Alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord; he who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“If any one serves me, the Father will honour him.”
JOHN 12: 24 – 26

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honour him.”

The Gospel of the Lord._*SATURDAY, AUGUST 10TH 2024.*_

Mugovera 10 Nyamavhuvhu – August;

Zuvaguru raRorenzi muDhikoni noMufiriwechitendero
Chiverengo chokutanga:
2 VaKorinde 9,6b-10

Inzwai chiverengo chinobva mutsamba
yechipiri yaPauro kuvaKorinde
6Hama dzangu, munhu anodyara zvishoma achakohwawo zvishoma; anodyarawo zvakawanda
achakohwawo zvakawanda. 7 Mumwe nomumwe
anofanira kuita sokuzvisarudzira kwaakaita mumwoyo make, kwete seasingadi kana seanomanikidzwa,
nokuti Mwari anoda munhu anopa achifara.
8Mwari anogona kukupai makomborero ose akawanda kwazvo kuti nguva dzose muve nezvinokwana, muchikwanisawo kuwana zvinhu zvinodiwa
pamabasa ose akanaka. 9Sokunyorwa kwazvakaitwa
zvichinzi,
“Kuvarombo, ndimupanegombe,
ururami hwake hunogara nokusingaperi.”
10 Iye Mwari anopa mbeu kumudyari, nechingwa
chokudya ndiye achakupa, mbeu dzose dzaunoda
uye achaitawo kuti dzikure, dzibereke zvokukohwa
zvakawanda zvichibva muururami hwako.
Shoko raMwari.

Rwiyo rwokutsinhira:
Nziyo 112,1-2.5-9. (D – 5)

(D) – Wakanaka zvake munhu anoita
zvinhu zvake noruenzaniso.
Akakomborerwa zvake munhu anotya TENZI,
anofarira mitemo yake zvikuru.
2Zvizukuru zvake zvichava zvakasimba panyika,
zvizvarwa zvakarurama zvichakomborerwa.
(D) – Wakanaka zvake munhu anoita
zvinhu zvake noruenzaniso.
5 Wakanaka zvake munhu anoita mwoyochena
uye anokweretesa,
anoita zvinhu zvake noruenzaniso.
6Mururami haambozunguziki,
acharangarirwa nokusingaperi.
(D) – Wakanaka zvake munhu anoita
zvinhu zvake noruenzaniso.
7 Haambotya marehwarehwa akaipa;
akasimba mwoyo, anovimba naTENZI.
8Akagadzana mwoyo, haambotya kusvikira
aona zvaanoda zvichiitika kumhandu dzake.
(D) – Wakanaka zvake munhu anoita
zvinhu zvake noruenzaniso.
9Ndimupanegombe chaiye, anopa kuvarombo;
kururama kwake kunoramba kuripo
nokusingaperi,
simba rake rinorumbidzwa nomukurumbira.
(D) – Wakanaka zvake munhu anoita
zvinhu zvake noruenzaniso.

Kupemberera Shoko Rakanaka:
Johani 8,12bc

Areruya, Areruya Tenzi anoti: “Ndini mwenje wapasi, anonditevera haafambi murima,
achave nechiedza choupenyu.” Areruya.

Shoko Rakanaka: Johani 12,24-26

Inzwai Shoko Rakanaka rakanyorwa naJohani
Jesu akati,
24 “Zvechokwadi chaizvo ndinoti kwamuri,
kusatoti tsanga yekoroni yawira muvhu ikafa
inoramba ichingova yoga,
asi ikafa inobereka muchero wakawanda. 25Anoda upenyu hwake anorasikirwa nahwo,
asi uyo anovenga upenyu hwake pasi pano,
anohuchengeta kusvikira kuupenyu husingaperi.
26Anoda kundishandira, anofanira kunditevera,
kwandinenge ndiri, mushandi wangu ndokwaanofanirawo kuva.
Munhu akandishandira, Baba vachamukudza.”
Shoko Rakanaka raTenzi.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: The Loss of All and the Gain of More
Saturday, August 10, 2024

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. (John 12:25)

This is one of the many powerful and even shocking statements of Jesus. A similar statement by Jesus is found in all four of the Gospels. In this, John’s version, the words “love” and “hate” are used. By loving our lives we lose them, but by hating our lives we preserve them. At first read, one may think that those words “love” and “hate” were accidentally reversed. One might conclude that what Jesus meant to say was, “Whoever hates his life loses it” and “whoever loves his life preserves it.” But that’s not what He said. He did in fact say the opposite.

It must be understood that the words “love” and “hate” here are not used in the way we normally use them. In this passage, Jesus is using the word “love” to refer to selfishness or self-centeredness. And He uses the word “hate” to refer to selflessness or sacrificial self-giving. In other words, whoever is selfish in life will lose everything in the end but the one who is truly selfless and self-giving in life will ultimately gain everything.

This profound teaching of our Lord is difficult to comprehend without the gift of grace. Our human reason alone may struggle with the idea that selfless living is good. It is easy to rationally conclude that it is far better to elevate ourselves before everyone. The rational mind might conclude that happiness and the “good life” is found in obtaining riches, status, power and the respect of all. But this form of selfish self-centered living, though tempting on a purely human level, is actually the path to losing everything that is truly good. On the contrary, it is only when we allow God’s grace to inform our human reason that we will arrive at the conclusion that being selfless rather than selfish is what’s best. To be selfless means our eyes are always turned to the good of the other. It means we do not sit and dwell on ourselves. It means we are fully committed to the service of God and our neighbor no matter the cost to us. We must give everything away in the service and love of God and that is the only way by which God gives back to us more than we could ever hope for.

Saint Lawrence, whom we honor today, was a deacon and martyr in the third century. This great saint literally gave up everything, including his very life, so as to say “Yes” to God. As a deacon in the Cathedral Church in Rome, he was entrusted with the task of distributing alms to the indigent people in need. In August of the year 258, the Emperor issued an edict stating that all clergy were to be put to death. After the pope was killed, they came for Lawrence and, before killing him, asked him to turn over all the riches of the Church. He asked for three days to gather those treasures, and, during those three days, he distributed all he could to the poor. Then, on the third day, he presented himself before the prefect and brought with him not the material wealth of the Church but the true wealth. He brought the poor, crippled, blind and suffering and declared that the Church was truly rich and that the people with him were the Church’s true treasures. The prefect, in anger, sentenced Lawrence to death by fire, to which Lawrence freely submitted.

Reflect, today, upon the high Christian calling you have been given to live a life that is completely selfless and self-giving in every way. If you find that you dwell on yourself most often, then try to change that habit. Turn your eyes to God and the service of others. Try to care more about the needs of those around you than your own concerns. Do so because this is what Jesus calls us to do, and, if He calls us to such a selfless life, then we must know and believe that it is worth it in the end.

PRAYER:
My sacrificial Lord, You gave Your precious life away to all out of love. The total self-giving of Your life resulted in the salvation of those who will accept this glorious gift. Help me to not only open myself to this freely given gift of Yours but to also imitate Your selfless life by giving myself in service of You and others. Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You.