August 10 2018 - St. Lawrence of Rome - Laughing in the face of death

Today’s saint was a deacon of the Church of Rome in the mid 3rd century.  It’s hard to imagine the situation of the Church in Rome during the persecution, which lasted from 64 A.D. to 313 AD. We're talking about a state sponsored persecution lasting longer than America has been a nation. 

Earlier this week we heard about how the Roman Emperor Valerian passed a decree that Christian worship was forbidden unto death and that everyone was now forced to practice the pagan religion of the state.  And then, a second decree, a year later in 258 AD, that simply and coldly ordered all bishops, priests, and deacons be put to death. 

The Pope, Bishop of Rome, Pope Sixtus II, was arrested and killed on August 7th 258 AD. Today’s saint, the Roman Deacon Lawrence was arrested and killed four days later. Lawrence, like Sixtus is mentioned in the Roman Canon, the first Eucharistic prayer.

As a deacon in Rome, Lawrence was in charge of the Roman Church’s treasury, and had the responsibility of distributing alms to the poor.  When Pope Sixtus was arrested and killed, Lawrence knew that he would be next—he sold all of his personal possessions and gave them away to the poor widows, orphans, and beggars of Rome.

When the prefect of Rome heard this, he imagined that Church must have a considerable treasure hidden somewhere in the city.  He ordered Lawrence to bring the Church’s treasures to him.  So, Deacon Lawrence gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned and widowed persons. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasures of the Church.”

In great anger, the Prefect condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. The Saint was to be slowly roasted alive upon an iron grill.  Lawrence however was burning with so much love of God that he almost did not feel the flame. He even joked,  "I'm done on this side! Turn me over” Among many other things, Lawrence is a patron saint of Comedians.

This feast’s Collect Prayer asks God to help us love what Lawrence: He loved serving the Church, He loved the poor, he loved the Lord. Because of his great love, he was able to have such courage in the face of death, even to laugh in the face of death.

May we, like St. Lawrence be filled with love for all that God loves and order our lives to reflect that we are made for a life beyond this life for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may grow in their awareness of and charitable attentiveness to the needs of the poor in their midst.

That Christians persecuted for the faith may be courageous in their witness to the saving Truth of Christ. And that the witness of the martyrs may never be in vain.

For the Holy Father’s prayer intention for the month of August that any far-reaching decisions of economists and politicians may protect the family as one of the treasures of humanity.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests, deacons and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.