Saint Lawrence
St. Lawrence (d. 258?)
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, Prudentius, Ambrose and Augustine. 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!”
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 and the Poor
