Turn Me Over!

Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr
Readings for Thursday
Biographical Information about St. Lawrence

Reflection:

When I was younger and more foolish than I hope I am today, I picked St. Lawrence, whose feast day we celebrate, because first, he was a Deacon of the Church, and second because of his reported sense of humor. According tradition, and that means it may not have been supported officially anywhere, when St. Lawrence was being martyred by means of being attached to a grate and roasted alive over a fire, he is said to have quipped at his torturers; “Turn me over, I’m done on that side.” Of all the heroic actions of martyrs reported through the centuries of Church history, I liked the simple insolence of St. Lawrence in that moment.

Now that I am older and wiser and have come to a deeper understanding of the role and purpose of the ministry of the Deacon, I can appreciate another aspect of his defiance of the Emperor Valerian who was the one responsible for Lawrence’s and some many other Christian executions. When Lawrence was commanded to bring to his execution the treasure of the Church, instead of the physical wealth in the form of gold or silver (Lawrence, a steward of the Church had already distributed that material wealth to keep it from Valerian) he brought with him a multitude of the indigent, the poor, and the sick of Rome, claiming they were the true treasure of the Church.

Lawrence exemplifies two aspects of diaconal ministry that are key to the relevance of the whole Order of Deacons. He demonstrates a devotion to the marginalized members of society and a flair for charity. His service to the Church, even excluding the fact that he was a martyr showing uncommon dedication to our Lord, is a towering example to everyone, but most especially to modern deacons who should be humbled by his example.

The scripture readings today support, precisely, the character of St. Lawrence. First, in Corinthians, we hear of the need to share what we have with those less fortunate. And if we look closely at the passage below we can see the inspiration for St. Lawrence as he gave his very life to the Lord:

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. (2 Cor 9 6-7)

In the Gospel we also see the fidelity of St. Lawrence as the Lord reminds all of us that, in order to follow him in life, we must also, like a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, follow him in death so we can rise with him in the new resurrection.

Now I know this is really heady stuff and it takes us to the “Philosophy” of the faith rather than the practicality of the faith which is the usual subject of these posts. However, we need that foundational understanding of our role in the world to help us translate our faith into action on a daily basis. We need to develop the mind of Christ in ourselves so that when situations arise we can instinctively react in a Christ-like way.

Today we reflect on one of the great early martyrs of the Church, fellow Deacon, St. Lawrence. Our prayer today should be that our lives some how echo his example of faith so that we can achieve the reward promised to the Lord’s faithful and we too become wheat.

Pax