“Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.” ~ St.
Mother Teresa and St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr, had something in common: their view of the poor and needy. Mother Teresa, on many occasions, told others that she helped the poor and the needy, especially those dying in the streets, because she saw Jesus in them. She would regularly tell people that the poor were Jesus in disguise.
St. Lawrence lived in the early 200’s at the time of Pope Sixtus II. Christians were being persecuted and put to death daily. In 258, the Emperor Valerian ordered that all bishops, priests, and deacons be put to death and ordered that all money and possessions from the Church be seized.
Pope Sixtus ordained Lawrence a deacon and placed him in charge of the Church’s treasure and instructed Lawrence to safeguard it. Lawrence was brought before Valerian and ordered to bring the Church’s treasure to him in three days time. Lawrence immediately sold all of the Church’s possessions and distributed the money to the poor and the needy.
At the end of three days, Lawrence appeared before Valerian. The emperor asked Lawrence where the treasure was and Lawrence made a motion with his arms, calling in the poor, the sick, and the needy. He said, “These are the treasures of the Church.” The emperor was not amused by that display and ordered Lawrence put to death on a gridiron.
Valerian might not have like what Lawrence had to say. The contemporaries of Mother Teresa might not have liked what she had to say. However, the truth is that Jesus lives not only among His people but within them. They — we — are the treasure of the Church and the treasure of God.
It is such a shame that so many people fail to see that awesome truth.
FAITH ACTION: Treat everyone you encounter today as if you are meeting Jesus. Because, you are.