Saint Lawrence was a deacon of the Church at Rome in the 3rd century. As such, he assisted Pope Sixtus II by distributing the Eucharist and by providing relief to the poor.
Along with the Pope, he was martyred during the persecutions instigated by the Roman Emperor Valerian, and is one of the Roman Church's most famous post-apostolic martyrs.
When asked to deliver up the treasures of the Church to the civil authorities, Lawrence gathered the poor of the city and said to his accusers, "These are the treasures of the Church."
Pious tradition has it that he was subsequently roasted on a gridiron: however, this account is quite unhistorical. It seems much more likely that he, like other martyrs of his day, was rather beheaded.
In any event, may we meditate on his life and martyrdom, and on the words of our Lord Jesus, “He that loveth his life shall lose it; but he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” (John 12:25) (The day's Gospel, page E 101, The People's Anglican Missal)
Books Worth Considering
The Treasury of Saints and Martyrs
Reason Is Beguiled: On the Mystery of Martyrdom & of Total Self Gift
By Their Blood: Christian Martyrs of the Twentieth Century
