"Behold, the Church's Treasure!"

On this day, in the year 258, Saint Lawrence, a deacon of the Church of Rome, was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Valerian. As the story goes, St. Lawrence was entrusted by Pope St. Sixtus II with the temporal goods of the Church of Rome to be distributed daily to the poor in the city. When the greedy and corrupt emperor heard of this rumored wealth, he sent his prefect to the deacon Lawrence and demanded that he turn it all over to the imperial treasury.

Confronted with this demand, Lawrence asked for three days to gather the Church's wealth. During the first two days, Lawrence gave away all of the Church's property to the needy. Then, on the third day, the defiant deacon marched to the prefect of the city of Rome with the poor, the homeless, and the ill following behind him. Pointing to this band of outcasts - marginalized, impoverished, and dejected - Lawrence told the emperor's prefect: "Behold, the Church's treasure!" This act of defiance led to his arrest, condemnation, and death. St. Lawrence is honored in the Church as a saint and martyr.

"St. Lawrence Distributing Alms to the Poor" by Fra Angelico

St. Lawrence's defiant words to the prefect should still challenge us in our time! First, we are challenged to consider our relationship with wealth and temporal goods. Our material means are meant to satisfy our needs, and in turn, to help others live a life of dignity, relative comfort, and peace. Are we willing to share our gifts with others who are in need? How attached are we to our wealth? St. Lawrence also challenges us to see the poor as our greatest treasure. In the name of Jesus and his Church, we are called to care for every individual who suffers from the indignity of material poverty, as well as to minister to those struggling with spiritual poverty.

Like St. Lawrence, we must embrace the poor, grow to know each one of them by name, and discover their stories. In doing so, we will see ourselves in every poor man, woman, and child. In embracing the poor, we will come close to God, who in Christ Jesus, became poor for our sake. When we embrace the poor, we embrace our truest and only treasure.

St. Lawrence, pray for us!

Hope for Young Adult Ministry

So often in our parishes, outreach to young adults (ages 18-35) does not exist. We've convinced ourselves that these men and women will automatically maintain their connection with our faith communities while transitioning through the critical years of their lives. Or, as we also tell ourselves, if they do drift away during their young adulthood, our young adults will eventually return once they are married and start their families.

This thought process has stagnated outreach to young adults. Their spiritual and social needs are vast. So many young adults transition from school to first careers (or prolonged underemployment) without adequate systems of support. Some may move into new towns or cities, though many must reside at home due to a lack of affordable housing. They live, work, and socialize among their peers, most of whom do not regularly practice their faith.

Given these glaring realities, most of our parishes are ill-equipped to minister to the needs of this particular demographic. Yet, with Jesus Christ, there is always hope!

Young Adults on pilgrimage in Washington, D.C.

Here in the Poconos, there has been a tremendous growth in young adult ministry throughout the past year. What first began as outreach to students at nearby East Stroudsburg University has evolved into a separate regional young adult group for men and women in their twenties and thirties.

Faith on Fire allows young adults to be part of a faith-based community of peers. Together, we pray, socialize, and grow deeper together in our Christian discipleship. And we have a lot of fun, too! We love to go to different pubs for wing night and on Sunday, explore different parishes for Mass. We've hosted Scripture studies and faith-sharing opportunities. Members of Faith on Fire also joined diocesan pilgrims at the World Youth Day Unite! event in Washington, D.C.

Some members of Faith on Fire at St. Matthew's Parish, East Stroudsburg

This young adult ministry is at the service of our local parishes. Members of Faith on Fire are encouraged to be active, pray, worship, and serve in their own respective parish communities. There is, of course, something quite powerful about being united in the Spirit with young adults who share similar joys, struggles, and desires.

I hope that more young adults in the Poconos will join us. It will require us to be missionary disciples, to go out and invite others into this group. Of particular importance will be our work of going to the "peripheries" in order to bring those who feel marginalized by the Church back into this community of faith and love. Young adult ministry is life-giving and joy-filled. It is also desperately needed!

For more information regarding Faith on Fire, visit: http://www.stmatthewspa.org/68.
Also, check us out on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/151446532031351/?ref=br_rs