Opening Prayer
Lord, I contrast the physical suffering of the iron griddle with Your command to be merry in God, recognizing that true joy is found in You alone. Grant me the perspective to see that earthly adversity is passing, while the sweetness of Your presence is eternal. Let my soul not be crushed by the weight of professional burdens, but rather refined by them, as gold is purified by fire.
I ask for the virtue of patience in adversity, maintaining a tranquil heart even when professional or personal circumstances are hostile. Let my Iron Griddle of Joy be a testimony to the world that my happiness is not dependent on external comfort, but on the unchangeable goodness of my Creator. Help me to rejoice in my infirmities, knowing that Your power is made perfect in my weakness and my willingness to endure.
Amen.
John 12:24-26
24Amen, amen I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, 25Itself remaineth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world, keepeth it unto life eternal. 26If any man minister to me, let him follow me; and where I am, there also shall my minister be. If any man minister to me, him will my Father honour.
St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence stands by the belief that the poor are the treasures of the Church. This is where he emphasizes on the “gold of the world” from the “gold of the Spirit”. On the griddle, he famously joked: “Turn me over, I’m done on this side.” This is the clinical mirth in God. Famously, St. Gregory Thaumaturgus also says martyrs frolic in the presence of death because “God turned the tables on the Devil!” Lawrence reminds us that he who hates his life in this world will keep it. We must be merry in God even when life cooks us.
Spiritual joy is a formidable weapon against the “terror of death” and the trials of the world, enabling the believer to be “merry in God” even in misery. This disposition transforms the “iron” of suffering into a sacrifice of praise, acknowledging that God’s yoke is easy and His providence is always for our best. When trials are embraced with cheerfulness, the burden is made light by the presence of the Lord.
“The Church is a clinic that offers an excellent surgery—a surgery, not for bodies, but for souls… This medicine is put together not from the herbs growing on the earth, but from the words proceeding from heaven.”
— St. Lawrence
Mary and the Magisterium
True joy is found in God alone, persisting even when the world is in flames. Mary remained “merry in God”, finding a secret rest in the Father even while witnessing the sufferings of the world.
- Am I a "grain of wheat" willing to fall and die to bring forth fruit?
- Do I "glory in my infirmities" as a way to participate in Christ’s passion?
Closing Prayer
Lord, make me a cheerful giver of my life and my love.
Amen.
