St. Lawrence, or Lawrence of Rome, was a deacon in the third century. He was charged with the care of material goods in the Church and distribution of alms to the poor. When the Roman persecution of Catholics began, Lawrence knew he would be arrested and likely put to death. He, therefore, quickly distributed the Church's goods among the poor. Tradition dictates that St. Lawrence put aside only the Holy Grail, the chalice Christ used at the Last Supper. Then, seized while assisting with the Mass, St. Lawrence was brought before Roman officials:
The Prefect of Rome, a greedy pagan, thought the Church had a great fortune hidden away. So he ordered Lawrence to bring the Church's treasure to him. The Saint said he would, in three days. Then he went through the city and gathered together all the poor and sick people supported by the Church. When he showed them to the Prefect, he said: "This is the Church's treasure!"1The Prefect of Rome, furious at St. Lawrence's gall, sentenced him to a slow death-by-roasting. St. Lawrence was placed on an iron grill over hot coals. During his painful execution, God granted St. Lawrence incredible strength and peace. Lawrence prayed fervently for the conversion of Rome as he was "cooked" over the coals. Just before his death, St. Lawrence uttered his famous words: "Turn me over, I'm done on this side!"
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| The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence The J. Paul Getty Museum |
Accordingly, St. Lawrence is the patron of cooks and the poor. St. Lawrence, pray for us!
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| Taking martyrdom like a boss http///galleryhip.com/saint-veronica-giuliani.html.jpg |
1 "St. Lawrence - Martyr." Saints & Angels. Catholic Online, n.d. Web. 29 July 2015. <http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=366#wiki>.
