Saint of the Week: Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

John 12:24-26

Lawrence was a deacon in the Church of Rome in the middle of the 3rd century. Then, as now, vocational deacons were principally servants, of their Bishop and the needy. Deacon Lawrence was, in effect, the chief financial officer of the Diocese of Rome, when a persecution broke out in August of the year 258.

The early Church was not constantly persecuted. In fact, the Church might live in peace for decades, accumulating members, money, and buildings. In this persecution, the Roman Emperor targeted the leaders of the Church and its wealthiest members. They were all executed, including Pope Sixtus the Second. Only Lawrence was spared. The Emperor promised to spare him if he would hand over the "treasures" of the Church.

Lawrence agreed and asked for three days to gather those "treasures" together. Over those three days, Lawrence found all the sick and poor whom he had assisted. At the end of the three days, he brought them all to the Emperor. Where is the treasure of the Church, the Emperor demanded? Pointing to all those around him, Lawrence replied, here is the treasure of the Church. Enraged, the Emperor had Lawrence roasted on a gridiron, according to tradition.

For Deacon Lawrence, nothing was more important than giving of one's self to others. Giving of himself was more important than his life. When he could have given up someone else's money, nor his own, Lawrence chose instead to give up his life. He trusted Jesus, that if his single grain of life fell and died, it would continue to bear much fruit.

We human beings, it seems, live in a world of getting. If we give, it is only with the expectation of getting something equal to the gift. But Lawrence understood that the God who created this world, then gave himself through His Son, is a Giver before all else. Whether he gets something in return is irrelevant. This world is a gift. Our lives are a gift. Our lives will always change, sometimes not for the better. But like the grain that dies, the gift is transformed.

God's gift of love remains, always and forever. Lawrence trusted the Giver. So can we.