The fire of faith

[Rich]

The fire of faith

Let us honor blessed Lawrence, who by his faith overcame the flames
lit by the persecutor, and thus showed us how the fire of faith can
defeat the fire of hell. And let us rejoice with spiritual joy and
glory in the Lord at his happy death, confident that if we celebrate
his feast by worthy behavior and good deeds we shall always be helped
by his prayers and protection. Let us strengthen one another in the
spirit of love so that we may overcome all temptations and escape
every snare. Let us stand firm, and being of one mind in every good
work, protect ourselves with the shield of faith against all
temptations to sin, through him who has overcome the devil and enabled
us to overcome him: Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be praise and glory
through endless ages. Amen.
--Rabanus Maurus

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August 10th - Lawrence (Laurence) of Rome, Martyr

Born in Huesca (?), Spain; died in Rome, Italy, 258. Lawrence was said
to be a Spaniard who came to Rome to serve Pope Saint Sixtus II as one
of the seven deacons of Rome. The pope himself was martyred in 258
during the Valerian persecution, the year after the first publication
of the decrees against the Christians. While one version of the
martyrdom of Sixtus has him beheaded at the time of discovery in the
catacombs, the another has him taken away for questioning and returned
within a few hours to the spot for execution. In either case, several
early Christian writers, among them Saints Ambrose and Prudentius,
record that Lawrence was overwhelmed with grief when Sixtus was
condemned.

The latter one tells us that Lawrence followed the pope and his
captors to the place of execution, asking why Sixtus II should be
murdered and not his deacon (however, six deacons were martyred with
Sixtus). Sixtus replied, "My son, I am not leaving you. In a few days
you will follow me."

Lawrence, overjoyed that he was to follow his master to martyrdom, had
one task left. As a deacon, Lawrence was a steward of the property and
wealth of the church. It was his duty to provide alms to those in
need. Lawrence gathered together all the poor, the orphans, and the
widows he could find and gave them all he possessed. Lawrence even
sold some of the church's gold and silver, handing over this money too
to the needy.

The prefect, Cornelius Saecularis, believing that the Church was
wealthy, ordered that everything of value be turned over to the
emperor for the upkeep of his armies. The prefect said, "I understand
that according to your teaching you must render to Caesar the things
that are Caesar's. Your God didn't bring any money into the world with
him, all He brought was words. So give us the money, and you can keep
the words."

Lawrence said he would need three days to gather it together. In those
three days he sold the rest of the property that he administered and
brought together thousands of lepers, the blind, and the sick, the
destitute, widows, orphans, and the aged. These he presented to the
prefect, observing, "The church is truly rich, far richer then your
emperor."

In his rage the prefect threatened to kill Lawrence slowly. He took a
huge gridiron, heated it until it glowed, and binding Lawrence to the
metal, roasted him to death. Ambrose tells us that the fire of Divine
love burned so brightly in Lawrence that he bore the agony with
unbelievable calm and in the midst of his torment instructed the
executioner to turn him over, as he was broiled enough on the one
side. Later he said, "It is cooked enough. You may eat." It is said
that as he lay dying, his face seemed to be surrounded by a beautiful
light. After praying for the conversion of Rome, he died.

According to Prudentius, his death and example led to the conversion
of Rome and signaled the end of paganism in the city. There is no
doubt that his death inspired a great devotion in Rome, which quickly
spread throughout the entire Church. Both he and Sixtus are named in
the canon of the Mass.

The existence and martyrdom of Saint Lawrence are attested by the very
ancient Deposito Martyrum. However, scholars are not wholly in
agreement about how much credence can be given to such particulars
about Saint Lawrence because his passio was not written until at least
a century after his death. The fact of his martyrdom was widely
accepted by the Fathers, but there is room to doubt the details. For
example, it is more likely that he was beheaded, as was Sixtus,
because this was the usual manner of execution at that time. The
gridiron appears to be derived from a Phrygian source through the acta
of Saint Vincent of Saragossa.

He was buried in the cemetery of Cyriaca in the Campo Verano on the
Via Tiburtina (on the way to Tivoli), on the site of what is now the
Church of Saint Lawrence-outside-the-Walls. Five ancient churches are
dedicated to Lawrence in Rome, 228 were dedicated to him in England
prior to the Reformation, as well as the cathedral of Lund and the
Escorial in Spain. Pope Vitalian sent some of his relics to King Oswy
of Northumbria in the 7th century. Lawrence's intercession was reputed
to have caused the victories of Christian armies in the battle of
Lichfeld against the Magyars in 955, and at Saint-Quentin, in 1557
(Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer,
White).

He was one of the most popular and powerful saints of the Middle Ages,
which accounts for his many patronages. He is the patron of deacons
(Farmer), schoolboys, students, armorers, brewers, confectioners,
cooks (what did you expect--he was roasted ), cutlers, glaziers, and
launderers (Roeder).


Saint Quote:
Who has lost and who has won in the struggle--the one who keeps the
premises [buildings] or the one who keeps the Faith? The Faith
obviously. That therefore the ordinances which have been preserved in
the churches from old time until now may not be lost in our days,...
rouse yourselves, brethren,... seeing them now seized upon by aliens.
--St. Basil the Great (ca. 330-ca. 379)

Bible Quote:
"I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him
as long as I live." [Psalm 116:1-2]


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PRAYER FOR PROTECTION AGAINST DEMONS

O Mary, powerful Virgin,
You are the mighty and glorious Protector of the Church.
You are the Marvelous Help of Christians.
You are Terrible as an Army set in Battle Array.
You alone have destroyed every heresy in the entire Church.
In the midst of my anguish, my struggles and my distress,
Defend me from the power of the enemy,
And at the hour of my death,
Receive my soul into Paradise.
(Saint John Bosco, C. 1880)