“So death will come to fetch you? -
No, not death, but God Himself.
Death is not the horrible specter we see represented in
pictures.
The catechism teaches that death is the separation
of the soul from the body; that is all. I am not afraid of a separation
which will unite me
forever with God.” - St Therese of
Lisieux
"The
Pope and the faithful had gathered in the
catacombs in the evening of August 6, 258. Being Christians in a cemetery,
theirs was an illegal assembly punishable by death. There is every reason to
believe that the catacomb Mass that evening was to be offered specifically to
strengthen the faithful to endure the new persecution... Pope Sixtus was
preaching... soldiers burst into the crypt. The congregation drew together
before them, baring their breasts and extending their necks to signify that they
were ready to die to protect the Pope. But Sixtus would have none of that. He
came forward and they took him, along with four of his
deacons.
Another deacon, Lawrence, cried out: "Father,
where are you going without your deacon?"
Sixtus replied: "I do not leave you, my son. You shall
follow me in three days."
The Vicar of Christ
was taken up the nearby stairs and beheaded on the spot, along with the four
deacons. For some 1,500 years his name was mentioned in the Canon said by every
Catholic priest of the Latin rite, anywhere in the world.
Deacon
Lawrence was temporarily spared in order to give the persecution officials
access to the treasure supposedly accumulated by the Roman church. What he
actually brought forth before the prefect of Rome
St
Lawrence
Deacon, Martyr -
d. 258
FEAST DAY - August 10
Among
the Christian martyrs of ... The early Roman days ...
Was good St. Lawrence, who was
famed ... For his unselfish ways ...
He loved the humble and the poor
... And helped them all he could ...
And in those persecution days
... In their defense he stood ...
The Romans has the notion that
... The Church was rich in treasures ...
And they demanded all its wealth
... With threats of dire measures ...
"Here are the riches of the
Church" ... St Lawrence then replied ...
As he embraced the sick and lame
... And beggars at his side ...
And so they roasted him alive
... Above a fire slow ...
But on the martyr's face
remained ... A happy, holy glow.
From
Poem Portraits of the Saints, James J Metcalfe
(1956)
St Lawrence, pray for
us!
Happy Feast of St. Lawrence Janette! He'll be my parish saint soon! :)
ReplyDeleteDearest Ruth - soon and very soon - and a husband alongside to deeply share all! St Lawrence will be a wonderful intercessor for you, for the family!
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