Fra Angelico, St. Lawrence giving alms, (detail), Cappella Niccolina, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican

Today is the Feast of St. Lawrence. Our Sister Laurentia shares a bit about about her namesake:

Lawrence was a deacon in Rome in the year 258.  Pope Sixtus ll put him in charge of the treasury of the Church. He suspected that the Roman emperor would be looking for anything of value in the churches, so he sold such goods and distributed the money to the poor, the lame, the blind, to all those in need.

When the Roman prefect ordered Lawrence to surrender the treasures of the Church, Lawrence replied it would take three days to collect them. On the third day, Lawrence showed the prefect the poor, the lame, the blind and told him, “These are the treasures of the Church.”

The prefect was so enraged that he ordered Lawrence to be put to death.  One tradition tells us he was roasted to death on a red-hot gridiron over a slow fire in order to prolong the pain.  His willingness to suffer, to die for Christ, allowed him to make light of his pain and prompted him to say to his executioners, “You can turn me over now.  I’m done on this side.”  He was turned over, his face to the fire.

Even in the face of torture and death, he remained faithful to Christ and to His teachings that we take care of those who need our help and compassion.