Today is one of those Feast Days in the Catholic Church that I really don\u2019t know much about. Maybe I haven\u2019t been paying attention, bur I don\u2019t remember hearing any priest over the years, say much about him.\u00a0
So \u2014 I looked him up. He\u2019s listed as St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr. He was born on December 31, 225 and died on August 10, 258. His Feast Day is today, August 10.
The fact that today’s celebration ranks as a feast certainly says something about him, and that the Church holds him in fairly high esteem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we really know very little about his life. He\u2019s one of those whose martyrdom obviously made a deep and lasting impression on the early Church.
He was one of seven deacons who were in charge of giving help to the poor and needy. The big trouble started when the troublemakers, who did not like Christians, decided to kill Pope Saint Sixtus II. The story goes that as they took the Pope away for execution, Lawrence followed him \u2014 weeping, and said, \u201cFather where are you going without your deacon?\u201d The Pope answered, \u201cI am not leaving you, my son, in three days you will follow me\u201d. Lawrence was so happy, he gave all the money he had with him to the poor. He even sold expensive church vessels so he would have more money to give away.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The perfect of Rome (responsible for maintaining law and order within Rome \u2014 he was later in charge of Rome\u2019s entire city government) was a greedy man and thought the Church had a great fortune hidden away. He ordered Lawrence to bring the Church\u2019s treasure to him. The (to be) saint said he would \u2014 in three days. Then he went through the city and gathered together all the poor and sick people supported by the Church. He showed them to the perfect and said, \u201cThese people are the Church\u2019s treasure.\u201d Well \u2014 as you might imagine, the perfect was a little bit ticked, actually he was furious. He asked that Lawrence be killed slowly so he would suffer more. The saint was tied on top of an iron grill over a slow fire that roasted him.
God gave him strength enough to remain cheerful and maintain his sense of humor \u2014 the legend says that before he died, he said, \u201cIt is well done. Turn me over!!\u201d
St Lawrence is the Patron Saint of, among others, Rome, miners, tanners, students, poor, firefighters \u2014 and \u2014 cooks. I\u2019d say that\u2019s appropriate, given St. Lawrence\u2019s ending\u2026..\u00a0
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today is one of those Feast Days in the Catholic Church that I really don\u2019t know much about. Maybe I haven\u2019t been paying attention, bur I don\u2019t remember hearing any priest over the years, say much about him.\u00a0So \u2014 I … Continue reading