St Lawrence

August 10 -  Reflections on St Lawrence

Fresco of St Lawrence by Blessed Fra Angelico 

Saint Lawrence (225–258 AD), a holy martyr, was born in Spain in the first half of the 3rd century, and his life was marked by piety and charity. He was one of seven deacons who served the Church in Rome. 

In the year 258, Emperor Valerian issued an edict demanding the execution of all bishops, priests, and deacons. Pope Sixtus II was captured and executed, but before his arrest, he prophesied that Lawrence, a deacon in Rome, would follow him in martyrdom three days later. 

 

As the Roman Prefect targeted the wealth of the church, he summoned Lawrence and commanded him to surrender the church's treasures. He sent for Saint 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.”

As deacon in Rome, Saint Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the Church, and the distribution of alms to the poor. Lawrence sought out the poor, widows, and orphans of Rome and gave them all the money he had on hand, selling even the sacred vessels of the altar to increase the sum, he then distributed the Church’s wealth to the poor. 

 

At the appointed hour, 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 true treasures of the Church.” 

 

Infuriated by this defiance, the Prefect condemned Lawrence to a brutal death. According to the ancient De Passio, collected by Saint Ambrose, he was to be roasted alive on a gridiron. Remarkably, Lawrence endured his tortures with such faith and courage that he is famously remembered for jesting with his executioners, "Turn me over; I'm done on this side!" 

 

He died on August 10, 258. After his death, the body of Saint Lawrence was laid in a tomb on the Via Tiburtina. In this place, Emperor Constantine erected a basilica, the church of San Lorenzo in Panisperna, that was restored in the 20th century after damage caused during WWII by the US bombing of Rome on July 19, 1943. According to some sources, the name derives from the custom of Franciscan friars and Poor Clares, of distributing bread and ham - panis et perna - to the poor The church built over his tomb became one of the seven principal churches in Rome and a favorite place for Roman pilgrimages.

Saint Lawrence’s martyrdom is a supreme testament to love. Saint Leo the Great, in a homily, commented on the condemnation of St. Lawrence, “The flames could not overcome the charity of Christ; and the fire burning him without was weaker than the one he had burning within him.” St. Leo adds, “The Lord has desired to exalt his glorious name in the world so much that from the East to the West, in the lively flaring of the light radiated by the greatest deacons, the same glory that came to Jerusalem from Stephen has also touched Rome thanks to Lawrence.”

St Lawrence is the Patron Saint of: Comedians, Archivists, Librarians, Students, Miners, Tanners, Chefs, The Poor, and Firefighters

Prayer to St Lawrence - Deacon and Martyr

O Generous patron of the Church’s poor, St. Lawrence, pray to the One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit that all the poor of the Church in need in every corner of the world may feel the effect of the love of their brothers and sisters who seek to help them.

Deliver the Church from the greed and envy of the powerful and protect her rights and property so that she may serve the needy in freedom, giving them good things for soul and body.
May we come some day with all those whom we helped on earth to the bright mansions of heaven where we will enjoy the riches of God’s house and the company of the Saviour who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Reflection: What God-given treasures do I have to give to those in need?

References:

1. St. Lawrence Deacon - Information on the Saint of the Day - Vatican News. (n.d.). https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/08/10/st--lawrence-deacon--and-martyr.html
2. The story of St Lawrence. (n.d.). St Lawrence Catholic Primary School. https://www.st-lawrencesprimary.co.uk/the-story-of-st-lawrence/
3. Franciscan Media. (2026b, July 30). Saint Lawrence | Franciscan Media. Franciscan Media. https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-lawrence/