The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence
August 10th Readings Reflection: Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Lawrence, a 3rd century deacon who gave his life for the Faith. The Roman Emperor Valerian regarded the Christians as a threat to his brutal regime, which saw the deaths of several Christian clerics as well as many unborn babies and infants. In the midst of this culture of death, Valerian particularly despised the early Christian practice of giving away their possessions to the poor.
In addition to serving at the altar, Deacon Lawrence was placed in charge of the Church’s financial treasury. Emperor Valerian therefore sought out the holy deacon and demanded that he turn the Church’s treasures over to the emperor. St. Lawrence requested a few days to complete the request and set off to gather the poor and sick, whom he knew from his charitable work. He presented these people to Valerian with the words, “Here are the treasures of the Church!”
The Roman emperor was furious with Lawrence, failing to see in these people the true treasures of the Church. He ordered St. Lawrence to be tortured. During his sufferings, the saint prayed for his executioners and for the people of Rome. At least one Roman soldier requested Baptism from the deacon during his tortures. At last, the emperor sentenced St. Lawrence to death by being burned alive on a gridiron.
St. Lawrence courageously embraced his martyrdom, even joking with his executioners at one point, “Now you may turn me over; my body is roasted enough on this side.” Through his courageous martyrdom, St. Lawrence is credited with converting the city of Rome, as people sought Baptism after seeing the courage with which the deacon was martyred.
“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” These words from today’s Gospel beautifully summarize the life and death of St. Lawrence. This saint certainly bore much fruit during his time on earth, but God used his martyrdom to gain many souls for Christ. May the example of St. Lawrence inspire our own faith and remind us that God uses all aspects of our lives, even the most painful, to accomplish His holy Will.
St. Lawrence, ora pro nobis!
Amen!!!!