Readings & Reflections: Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr, August 10,2019

Saint Lawrence was one of the Roman church’s seven deacons who were personally responsible for the care of the city’s poor. The deacon Lawrence was martyred in the year 258 A.D. under the Emperor Valerian. Since the 4^th century, the devotion to the deacon Lawrence has been continuous and strong. It is said that Lawrence, having witnessed the martyrdom of Pope Sixtus II, sold the Roman Church’s goods and gave the proceeds to the poor, the gathering of the unfortunate of Rome, who are presented as the “Church’s true treasure.” Four days later he himself was roasted on a gridiron, a death that he accepted with patience and good spirits, even telling his tormentors when he was “done to a turn” and Lawrence’s subsequent death on a gridiron – inspired numerous artistic representations. The Christian writer Prudentius saw Lawrence’s suffering and death as the catalyst for the conversion of the city of Rome. The Emperor Constantine publicly honored Lawrence’s grave with a chapel, where Saint Lawrence outside the Walls stands today. St. Augustine preached several homilies on Lawrence: “The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers’ (1 Jn 3:16)…. Lawrence understood this and, understanding, he acted on it…. In his life he love Christ; in his death he followed in his footsteps.”

AMDG+

Opening Prayer

“Lord, let me be wheat sown in the earth, to be harvested for you. I want to follow wherever you lead me. Give me fresh hope and joy in serving you all the days of my life.” In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

Reading 1
2 Cor 9:6-10

Brothers and sisters:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.
As it is written:

He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.

The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will supply and multiply your seed
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9
R. (5) Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

Lavishly he gives to the poor,
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

Gospel
John 12:24-26

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
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.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – To follow Jesus

“Whoever serves me must follow me and where I am, there also will my servant be.” John 12:26

To follow Jesus, one has to carry out His plan fully and abide by His will.  The greatest act of renunciation one can do is to forego his worldly drives, motivations and aspirations through submission to God’s will by being obedient in all things. Nothing is dearer to man than the freedom of his own will as this is what makes him master over others and what gives him control over the world that surrounds him. But one who gives up his will for God’s sake accepts the kind of death that can only bear the fruit of life.

One who surrenders the freedom of his own will, by which he is the master of himself, effectively renounces his very self. This is the reason why obedience to God’s Word is one meritorious sacrifice man can offer to God, if not the greatest.

Allowing God to rule our lives is the very foundation of our discipleship in Christ. God gave us the free will to govern ourselves according to our value judgment and personal convictions. Thus, if we choose to be obedient to God and His plan for us, our lives become a voluntary offering for the service, worship, and glory of God, a sacrifice of self and of our attachments to our opinions, inclinations, and our very own personal demands and beliefs. Such obedience frees us from our focus on ourselves and strips us from self-love.

Although it may somehow appear to be a loss of one’s identity and a big blow to one’s ego, yet it is one virtue that exhibits strength of character and man’s total reliance on God.

Nothing can help to free us from love of self and to strip us of ourselves, as much as obedience. One who is obedient therefore possesses a humble heart. Far from destroying our personality, obedience makes us strong and develops the character of Christ in us. Obedience is one of the most glorious and sublime ways by which we can witness to our decision to follow Christ whatever the cost may be.

Although some may say the cost of following Jesus is too high, we should always look at the immeasurable rewards of discipleship. Although discipleship in Christ may seem to require a high cost from us, we should always note that we can only fulfill our covenant with God not through our power but through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The promise of life everlasting awaits all of us who follow Him and who are willing to live the way He lived and to die as He died, in obedience to the Father.  “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself” Mt 16:24

To follow Jesus is to seek His will…emptying our hearts of what we want and prefer. It is dying to self amidst what we truly want or at the very least keep our spirit in peaceful relationship with our neighbor and co worker. Following Jesus means oneness with Him in suffering, in joy and in peace!

Are we ready to give up our lives for God and His people?  Jesus said, “Whoever loves his life in this world will lose it, but the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life “John 12: 25.

We should remember that the more we seek for ourselves, the more attached we become to this life and the more we become less like Christ. The more we ignore the needs of others and focus only on our own like the rich man who continued to ignore Lazarus, the more wretched and closer we are to death and destruction, the wider the abyss that will forever separate us from our Lord.  The more we use reason and justify our actions, the deeper we go in our self righteousness and the more separated we are from the Lord… the more blind we become of our erroneous hearts, the more lost we are in our spiritual journey.

Unless we set aside our very selves for the sake of God and His people, never shall we bear the fruit of eternal life. “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.”  If Christ died and rose again, we too shall rise to the highest heavens like Christ did but only if we learn how to die to self and share in His suffering.

Self-giving, self-denial and dying to self will make us authentic Christian disciples. Before we can bear fruit in Christ’s Name, we need to give up self and die for Him!

“Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps.” Luke 9:23

Direction

A true disciple of Christ is obedient to authority.

Prayer

Teach me your ways O Lord that I may be obedient in all my ways. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Reflection 2 – A cheerful giver

In 1994 Mother Teresa of Calcutta addressed the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC., telling those present that love consists of giving until it hurts. Yet in today’s first reading (2 Cor 9:6-10) we are instructed that God loves a cheerful giver. So how should we choose to give: with pain or cheer? Both!

St. Lawrence, whose feast we celebrate today, is a model of this cheerful yet painful giving. As a deacon of the church, it was his responsibility to offer assistance to the needy and destitute. He is known for his reverence for the poor, even having offered them to a greedy nobleman as the “treasures of the Church.” His life was one of giving, even to the point of offering his life for his faith. Yet he maintained his cheerfulness and good humor to the death. Tradition has it that while being burned to death on a grill, he instructed his executioners, “Turn me over; I’m done on this side.”

Few of us seem likely to embrace our giving with this kind of cheer. We often feel resentful when people take advantage of our generosity. Why should we continue to give to those who do not seem to be doing anything to help themselves? Then there is the issue of taking care of ourselves first. We so often give from our excess, not letting ourselves feel the pinch of need, not allowing ourselves to share the pain of those in poverty. We cling to whatever worldly security we have and lose our good cheer when it is threatened.

Our good intentions about giving to those in need can be revitalized by the words of Jesus in today’s gospel (Jn 12:24-26). In order to produce “much fruit,” we must be willing to give even our lives. If we are willing to do so, we will be following in the footsteps of Christ, and we will be honored by the Father. What better reason is there for maintaining our good cheer while giving until it hurts? (Source: Cecilia Felix. Weekday Homily Helps. Ohio: St. Anthony Messenger Press, August 10, 2010).

Reflection 3 – The grain of wheat

What can a grain of wheat tell us about life and the kingdom of God? Jesus drew his parables from the common everyday circumstances of life. His audience, rural folk in Palestine, could easily understand the principle of new life produced by dead seeds sown into the earth. What is the spiritual analogy which Jesus alludes to? Is this, perhaps, a veiled reference to his own impending death on the cross and resurrection? Or does he have another kind of “death and rebirth” in mind for his disciples? Jesus, no doubt, had both meanings in mind for his disciples. The image of the grain of wheat dying in the earth in order to grow and bear a harvest only way to victory over the power of sin and death was through the cross. Jesus reverse the curse of our first parents’ disobedience through his obedience to the Father’s will – his willingness to go to the cross to pay the just penalty for our sins and to defeat death once and for all. His obedience and death on the cross obtain for us freedom and new life in the Holy Spirit. His cross frees us from the tyranny of sin and death and shows us the way of perfect love. There is a great paradox here. Death leads to life. When we “die” to our selves, we “rise” to new life in Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to “die” to oneself? It certainly means that what is contrary to God’s will must be “crucified” or “put to death.” God gives us grace to say “yes” to his will and to reject whatever is contrary to his loving plan for our lives. Jesus also promises that we will bear much “fruit” for him, if we choose to deny ourselves for his sake. Jesus used forceful language to describe the kind of self-denial he had in mind for his disciples. What did he mean when he said that one must hate himself? The expression to have something often meant to prefer less. Jesus says that nothing should get in the way of our preferring him and the will of our Father in heaven. Our hope is in Paul’s reminder that “What is sown in the earth is subject to decay, what rises is incorruptible” (1 Cor 15:42). Do you hope in the Lord and follow joyfully the path he has chosen for you?

“Lord, let me be wheat sown in the earth, to be harvested for you. I want to follow wherever you lead me. Give me fresh hope and joy in serving you all the days of my life.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/aug10.htm

Reflection 4 – The Joy Of Spring

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. –John 12:24

During Passover week, Jerusalem was swarming with visitors, including some Greeks who asked Philip if they could see Jesus. In response, Jesus simply said, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified” (Jn. 12:23). Then, contrary to what His listeners may have anticipated, Jesus compared His life to a seed, which must die in order to live and bear fruit.

As believers in Christ, we shrink from the thought of dying to self. Yet in nature we easily accept that a seed must pass through death to produce new life in the spring season. We know that seeds germinate under the ground’s surface, though we don’t see it happening.

Years ago my daughter was given a seed-planting kit. The soil in the kit was transparent jelly, which allowed us to observe the buried seed. Many days later we rejoiced as we witnessed the first sign of life emerge from that seed and eventually rise to full bloom.

In today’s circumstances, if we die to self and let the Spirit control our sinful desires, we can be confident that spiritual fruit will germinate within us, even though we can’t see it yet. We can rejoice over every seed of self that dies, for it’s a sign of the coming of spring to our lives.  — Joanie Yoder

Oh, may the life of the Savior flow through us,
Bearing rich fruit by His Spirit within;
And may each longing for selfish enjoyment
Be overcome lest it lead us to sin. –DJD

Fruitfulness for Christ begins when we die to self (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 5 – The Law Of The Cross

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. –John 12:24

The couplet “If the laws of the kingdom you faithfully keep, health, riches, and honor you surely will reap” sums up what many today are teaching. But it’s not true! Multitudes of faithful believers are sick or poor or persecuted. Yet they gratefully worship the Lord, serve Him the best they can, and remain joyful. They can do this because they believe the law of the cross–that by dying to self we produce a spiritual harvest that will last forever.

I read about a man who runs an after-school program for inner-city children. He recruits people to teach sewing, remedial reading, and other helpful skills. He also conducts an all-day school for 6 weeks in the summer, and holds a Sunday service in a church building that he cleans by himself. Hundreds benefit from his work, but an average of only eight people show up for church! He continues, however, because he is motivated by his love for God and the law of the cross, which says that if you die to self and serve others, you will reap fruit for eternity.

The principle that Jesus taught in John 12:24 about a grain of wheat dying before it can produce fruit was fully expressed in His own death and resurrection. We too need to live each day by this law of the cross.  — Herbert Vander Lugt

Grains of wheat produce a harvest
When they’re planted in the soil;
Once we die to self, we’ll harvest
Fruit eternal from our toil. –Sper

A buried seed bears fruit; a selfless life reaps an eternal harvest(Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 6 – Unless a grain of wheat falls

The mystery of Israel and the mystery of the Church are both intended to teach us one and the same thing: that God wants to come to men only through other men…. Thus, being a Christian means, constantly and in the first instance, letting ourselves be torn away from the selfishness of someone who is living only for himself and entering into the great basic orientation of existing for the sake of another.

All the great images in Holy Scripture signify this, fundamentally. The image of the Pascha, which is fulfilled in the New Testament mystery of the Death and Resurrection; the image of the exodus, of going out from what is familiar, what is our own, which begins with Abraham and remains a fundamental rule of salvation history through all time: everything is intended to express this one basic movement of freeing oneself from existing merely for one’s own sake. Christ the Lord expressed it most profoundly in the rule about the grain of wheat, which shows, at the same time, that this fundamental law sets its mark, not only on the whole of history, but, even before that, on the whole of God’s creation: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit (Jn 12:24)….

For fundamentally, love cannot mean anything but this: that we allow ourselves to be parted from that narrow view directed toward our own ego and that we begin to move out from our own self, in order to be there for others (Source: Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), Magnificat, Vol. 17, No. 6, August 2015, pp. 136-137).

Reflection 7 – What are you doing with your treasures?

Reflection 8 – St. Lawrence (d. 258? A.D.)

The esteem in which the Church holds Lawrence is seen in the fact that today’s celebration ranks as a feast. We know very little about his life. He is one of those whose martyrdom made a deep and lasting impression on the early Church. Celebration of his feast day spread rapidly.

He was a Roman deacon under Pope St. Sixtus II. Four days after this pope was put to death, Lawrence and four clerics suffered martyrdom, probably during the persecution of the Emperor Valerian.

Legendary details of his death were known to Damasus (Dec 11), Prudentius, Ambrose (December 7)  and Augustine (August 28). The church built over his tomb became one of the seven principal churches in Rome and a favorite place for Roman pilgrimages.

A well-known legend has persisted from earliest times. As deacon in Rome, Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the Church, and the distribution of alms to the poor. When Lawrence knew he would be arrested like the pope, he sought out the poor, widows and orphans of Rome and gave them all the money he had on hand, selling even the sacred vessels to increase the sum. When the prefect of Rome heard of this, he imagined that the Christians must have considerable treasure. He sent for Lawrence and said, “You Christians say we are cruel to you, but that is not what I have in mind. I am told that your priests offer in gold, that the sacred blood is received in silver cups, that you have golden candlesticks at your evening services. Now, your doctrine says you must render to Caesar what is his. Bring these treasures—the emperor needs them to maintain his forces. God does not cause money to be counted: He brought none of it into the world with him—only words. Give me the money, therefore, and be rich in words.”

Lawrence replied that the Church was indeed rich. “I will show you a valuable part. But give me time to set everything in order and make an inventory.” After three days he gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned and widowed persons and put them in rows. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasure of the Church.”

The prefect was so angry he told Lawrence that he would indeed have his wish to die—but it would be by inches. He had a great gridiron prepared, with coals beneath it, and had Lawrence’s body placed on it. After the martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his famous cheerful remark, “It is well done. Turn me over!”

Story:

A well-known legend has persisted from earliest times. As deacon in Rome, Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the church and the distribution of alms to the poor. When Lawrence knew he would be arrested like the pope, he sought out the poor, widows and orphans of Rome and gave them all the money he had on hand, selling even the sacred vessels to increase the sum. When the prefect of Rome heard of this, he imagined that the Christians must have considerable treasure. He sent for Lawrence and said, “You Christians say we are cruel to you, but that is not what I have in mind. I am told that your priests offer in gold, that the sacred blood is received in silver cups, that you have golden candlesticks at your evening services. Now, your doctrine says you must render to Caesar what is his. Bring these treasures—the emperor needs them to maintain his forces. God does not cause money to be counted: He brought none of it into the world with him—only words. Give me the money, therefore, and be rich in words.”

Lawrence replied that the church was indeed rich. “I will show you a valuable part. But give me time to set everything in order and make an inventory.” After three days he gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned and widowed persons and put them in rows. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasure of the church.”

The prefect was so angry he told Lawrence that he would indeed have his wish to die—but it would be by inches. He had a great gridiron prepared, with coals beneath it, and had Lawrence’s body placed on it. After the martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his famous cheerful remark, “It is well done. Turn me over!”

Comment:

Once again we have a saint about whom almost nothing is known, yet one who has received extraordinary honor in the Church since the fourth century. Almost nothing—yet the greatest fact of his life is certain: He died for Christ. We who are hungry for details about the lives of the saints are again reminded that their holiness was, after all, a total response to Christ, expressed perfectly by a death like this.

Patron Saint of: Cooks, Poor

Read the source:  http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1103

SAINT OF THE DAY
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God’s invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint.

“Saint Lawrence” redirects here. For other people or places named Saint Lawrence, see Saint Lawrence (disambiguation). For people or places named San Lorenzo, see San Lorenzo (disambiguation).

SAINT LAWRENCE
Lawrence before Valerianus, detail from a fresco by Fra Angelico, c. 1447-1450,Pinacoteca Vaticana
MARTYR
BORN	c. 225 AD Osca, Hispania (now modern-day Spain)
DIED	258 AD 10 August Rome
VENERATED IN	Catholic Church Eastern Orthodoxy Anglican Communion Lutheranism
CANONIZED	Pre-Congregation
MAJOR SHRINE	Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura in Rome
FEAST	10 August
ATTRIBUTES	Usually holding a gridiron and wearing a dalmatic
PATRONAGE	Rome, Rotterdam(Netherlands), Huesca (Spain),San Lawrenz, Gozo and Birgu(Malta), Barangay San LorenzoSan Pablo (Philippines),Canada, Sri Lanka, comedians,librarians, students, miners,tanners, chefs, roasters, poor, firefighters

Lawrence or Laurence of Rome (Latin: Laurentius, lit. “laurelled“; c. 225–258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred during the persecution by Emperor Valerian in 258.

Contents

 [hide] 

• 1Life of Saint Lawrence
• 2Martyrdom
• 3Miracles
• 4Veneration
  • 4.1Roman Catholic Church
  • 4.2Anglican Communion
• 5Legacy
• 6Gallery
• 7In popular culture
• 8See also
• 9References
• 10External links

Life of Saint Lawrence[edit]

St Lawrence is thought to have been born in Huesca, a town in the region of Aragon that was once part of the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis. The martyrs Orentius and Patientia are traditionally held to have been his parents.^[1]

He encountered the future Pope Sixtus II, who was of Greek origin, one of the most famous and highly esteemed teachers in Caesaraugusta (today Zaragoza). Eventually, both left Spain for Rome. When Sixtus became the Pope in 257, he ordained St Lawrence as a deacon, and though Lawrence was still young appointed him first among the seven deacons who served in the patriarchal church. He is therefore called “archdeacon of Rome”, a position of great trust that included the care of the treasury and riches of the church and the distribution of alms among the poor.^[2]

St Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, notes that Roman authorities had established a norm according to which all Christians who had been denounced must be executed and their goods confiscated by the Imperial treasury. At the beginning of August 258, the Emperor Valerian issued an edict that all bishops, priests, and deacons should immediately be put to death. Sixtus was captured on 6 August 258, at the cemetery of St Callixtus while celebrating the liturgy and executed forthwith.^[3]

After the death of Sixtus, the prefect of Rome demanded that St Lawrence turn over the riches of the Church. Saint Ambrose is the earliest source for the tale that St Lawrence asked for three days to gather together the wealth.^[4] He worked swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the poor as possible, so as to prevent its being seized by the prefect. On the third day, at the head of a small delegation, he presented himself to the prefect, and when ordered to give up the treasures of the Church he presented the poor, the crippled, the blind and the suffering, and said these were the true treasures of the Church.^[5] One account records him declaring to the prefect, “The Church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor.” This act of defiance led directly to his martyrdom and can be compared to the parallel Roman tale of thejewels of Cornelia.

On 10 August, St Lawrence, the last of the seven deacons, suffered a martyr’s death.^[6]

Martyrdom[edit]

The Martyrdom of St Lawrence, Tintoretto, oil on canvas, (Christ Church, Oxford)

By tradition, St Lawrence was sentenced at San Lorenzo in Miranda, imprisoned in San Lorenzo in Fonte, and martyred at San Lorenzo in Panisperna. The Almanac of Philocalus for the year 354 mentions that he was buried in the Via Tiburtina in the Catacomb of Cyriaca^[6]by Hippolytus andJustin the Confessor, a presbyter. One of the early sources for the martyrdom was the description by Aurelius Prudentius Clemens in his Peristephanon, Hymn II.

A well-known legend has persisted from earliest times. As deacon in Rome, St Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the Church and the distribution of alms to the poor.^[5]St Ambrose of Milan relates that when St Lawrence was asked for the treasures of the Church he brought forward the poor, among whom he had divided the treasure as alms.^[6] “Behold in these poor persons the treasures which I promised to show you; to which I will add pearls and precious stones, those widows and consecrated virgins, which are the church’s crown.”^[2] The prefect was so angry that he had a great gridiron prepared, with coals beneath it, and had Lawrence’s body placed on it (hence St Lawrence’s association with the gridiron). After the martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his famous cheerful remark, “I’m well done. Turn me over!”^[5][7] From this derives his patronage of cooksand chefs.

Some historians, such as Rev. Patrick Healy, view the traditions of how St Lawrence was martyred as “not worthy of credence”,^[8] as the slow lingering death cannot be reconciled “with the express command contained in the edict regarding bishops, priests, and deacons (animadvertantur) which ordinarily meant decapitation.”^[8] A theory of how the tradition arose is put forward by Pio Franchi de’ Cavalieri, who postulates that it was the result of a mistaken transcription, the accidental omission of the letter “p” – “by which the customary and solemn formula for announcing the death of a martyr – passus est[“he suffered,” that is, was martyred] – was made to readassus est [he was roasted].”^[8] The Liber Pontificalis, which is held to draw from sources independent of the existing traditions and Acta regarding Lawrence, usespassus est concerning him, the same term it uses for Pope Sixtus II (martyred by beheading during the same persecution).^[8]

Constantine I is said to have built a small oratory in honour of St Lawrence, which was a station on the itineraries of the graves of the Roman martyrs by the seventh century. Pope Damasus I rebuilt or repaired the church, now San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, while the minor basilica of San Lorenzo in Panisperna was built over the place of his martyrdom. The gridiron of the martyrdom was placed by Pope Paschal II in the church of San Lorenzo in Lucina.

Miracles[edit]

The life and miracles of St Lawrence were collected in The Acts of St Lawrence, but this is now lost. The earliest existing documentation of miracles associated with him is in the writings of St Gregory of Tours(538–594), who mentions the following:

A priest named Fr. Sanctulus was rebuilding a church of St Lawrence, which had been attacked and burnt, and hired many workmen to accomplish the job. At one point during the construction, he found himself with nothing to feed them. He prayed to St Lawrence for help, and looking in his basket he found a fresh, white loaf of bread. It seemed to him too small to feed the workmen, but in faith he began to serve it to the men. While he broke the bread, it so multiplied that that his workmen fed from it for ten days.^[2]

Veneration[edit]

The stone on which St Lawrence’s body was laid after death, in San Lorenzo fuori le mura

Due to his conspiring to hide and protect the written documents of the Church, St Lawrence is known as the patron saint of archivists and librarians.^[9]

Roman Catholic Church[edit]

St Lawrence is one of the most widely venerated saints of the Roman Catholic Church. Legendary details of his death were known to Damasus, Prudentius, Ambrose and Augustine. The church built over his tomb, San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, became one of the seven principal churches in Rome and a favorite place for Roman pilgrimages.^[7] Devotion to him was widespread by the fourth century. Since the Perseid Meteor Shower typically occurs every year in mid-August on or near his feast day, some refer to the shower as the “Tears of St Lawrence”.^[2]

The shrine containing the gridiron said to have been used to grill St Lawrence to death. Church of San Lorenzo in Lucina,Rome.

St Lawrence is especially honoured in the city of Rome, where he is one of the city’s patrons. There are several churches in Rome dedicated to him, including San Lorenzo in Panisperna, traditionally identified as the place of his execution; the area near the San Lorenzo basilica is called Quartiere San Lorenzo. He is invoked by librarians, archivists, cooks, and tanners as their patron. His celebration on 10 August has the rank of feast throughout the Catholic world.^[10] On this day, the reliquary containing his burnt head is displayed in the Vatican for veneration.

St Lawrence is the patron saint of Ampleforth Abbey whose Benedictine monks founded one of the world’s leading public schools for Catholics, located in North Yorkshire (North East England).

Anglican Communion[edit]

Within Anglicanism the saint’s name is traditionally spelt Laurence. His feast appears (on 10 August) in the calendar of theBook of Common Prayer, the volume of prayers which, in its 1662 format, was the founding liturgical document of a majority of Anglican Provinces. In the Book of Common Prayer the feast is entitled “S Laurence, Archdeacon of Rome and Martyr”. The celebration of his feast, on 10 August, has carried into the contemporary calendars of most Anglican Provinces,^[11] including the Church of England,^[12]which designates it a lesser festival, under the title “Laurence, deacon, martyr, 258”.

Laurence is venerated by Anglo-Catholics, and is the patron of many Anglican parish churches, including more than 200 in England.^[13][14]A major church in Sydney, Australia, in the former civil (land division) parish of St Laurence, known as “Christ Church St Laurence“. The Brotherhood of St Laurence, an Anglican-foundation charitable society, also bears his name.

Legacy[edit]

According to Fr Francesco Moraglia, Professor of Dogmatic Theology, the role of deacon is distinguished by service of the poor. He is destined both to the service of the table (corporal works of mercy) and to the service of the word (spiritual works of mercy). “The beauty, power and the heroism of Deacons such as Lawrence help to discover and come to a deeper meaning of the special nature of the diaconal ministry.”^[3]

In Freemasonry the Order of St Lawrence the Martyr is a masonic degree whose ritual is based upon the story of the martyr. It is one of the constituent degrees of theAllied Masonic Degrees.

A practically innumerable host of churches, schools, parishes, towns and geographic features all over the world have been named after Lawrence of Rome the deacon and martyr over the centuries. Depending on locality they can be named St Lawrence, St Laurence, San Lorenzo, St Laurent, St Lorenz or similarly in other languages.

One example is San Lorenzo del Escorial, the monastery built by Philip II of Spain to commemorate his victory at Saint-Quentin on the feast day of St Lawrence. The monastery and the attached palace, college, and library are laid out in a grid resembling a grill with a handle.

On his second voyage, French explorer Jacques Cartier, arriving in the widest river estuary in the world^{[citation needed]} on St. Lawrence’s feast day of 1535, named it theGulf of St. Lawrence.^[15] The river emptying into this the gulf was correspondingly called the St Lawrence River. Many names in what are now Québec and the Maritime Provinces of Canada were given after this important seaway, like the Laurentian mountains (north of the city of Montreal), Saint-Laurent (borough), the famed Saint Lawrence Boulevard, which spans the width of the Island of Montreal, and St Lawrence County, New York, near Lake Ontario. Further consequences can be found viaLaurentia (disambiguation) and Laurentian.

The rescue operation for the miners trapped in the 2010 Copiapó mining accident in Chile was termed Operación San Lorenzo after the saint.

Gallery[edit]

 

• 

  A statue of St Lawrence overlooking the river named after him, theSaint Lawrence River

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  Lawrence statue in St Lawrence Deacon & Martyr Parish Church,Balagtas, Bulacan,Philippines[1].

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  St Lawrence holding thegridiron, by the Master of Meßkirch, c.1535-40.

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  St Lawrence, Ranworth Rood Screen, Ranworth, St Helen’s Church, UK, c.1430

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  St Lawrence pictured on the astronomical clock inLund Cathedral,Sweden.

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  St Lawrence depicted in a 14th-century book of hours

 

In popular culture[edit]

In Fargo season 1, episode 3, Lorne Malvo notes the stained glass window of Saint Lawrence in Stavros’ office, in response to which Stavros relates the martyrdom story saying that Lawrence was the patron saint of “hard asses”, in “A Muddy Road“.

See also[edit]

It should be noted that several other saints were also named “Lawrence” (or the corresponding local variant), so one might also occasionally encounter something named after one of them. More information on these topics can currently be accessed through disambiguation articles like:

• Saint Lawrence (disambiguation)
• San Lorenzo (disambiguation)
• St. Laurence’s Church

Another list can be found at the category page Lawrence of Romewhich is reserved for articles connected with this particular saint.

References[edit]

1. Jump up^ Sts. Orentius and Patientia Catholic Online
2. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d “”St. Lawrence, Deacon Martyr,” said to have been martyred by being put on a gridiron. St. Lawrence Orthodox Christian Church” (PDF).
3. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Moraglia, Fr. Francesco, “St. Lawrence, Proto-Deacon Of The Roman Church”, Vatican”.
4. Jump up^ Saint Ambrose, De officiis ministrorum, 2.28
5. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Fr. Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI (1997). “St. Lawrence”. My First Book of Saints. Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate – Quality Catholic Publications. pp. 176–178.ISBN 971-91595-4-5.
6. ^ Jump up to:^a b c “Kirsch, Johann Peter. “St. Lawrence.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 9 February 2013″.
7. ^ Jump up to:^a b Foley OFM, Leonard, “St. Lawrence”, Saint of the Day, Lives, Lessons, and Feast (Revised by Pat McCloskey OFM), Franciscan Media, ISBN 978-0-86716-887-7
8. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d Rev. Patrick Joseph Healy (1905). The Valerian persecution: a study of the relations between church and state in the third century A.D. Boston, Ma: Houghton, Mifflin, & Co.
9. Jump up^ OWENS, B. (2003). The safeguarding of memory: The divine function of the librarian and archivist (English). Library & Archival Security, 18(1), 9-41
10. Jump up^ From the oldest Christian calendars, such as the Almanac of Philocalus for the year 354, the inventory of which contains the principal feasts of the Roman martyrs of the middle of the fourth century, onwards.
11. Jump up^ See, for example, “An Anglican Prayer Book” (1989), the Province of Southern Africa, published Collins Liturgical, ISBN 0 00 599180 3, Calendar page 24.
12. Jump up^ See “Common Worship” (2000) core edition, published Church House Publishing,ISBN 0 7151 2000 X, Calendar page 12.
13. Jump up^ The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, published Oxford University Press, ISBN 0 19 283069 4 (paperback), cites 228 churches.
14. Jump up^ Church of England official index (ACNY) cites 224 combining Lawrence and Laurence spellings.
15. Jump up^