Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

Yesterday the Church celebrated the memory of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr.

As a deacon (during a time of persecution of the Church), Lawrence's responsibilities included distributing alms to the poor. As the story goes, the prefect of Rome demanded that all riches of the Church to be given to the emperor. Lawrence gathered a crowd of poor people and said, "These are the treasure of the Church." He was then put to death.

In one of his posts yesterday, Deacon Greg Kandra offered a reflection on Saint Lawrence by Saint Augustine (from yesterday's Office of Readings):

The Deacon's Bench: On the Feast of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr (10 AUG 11)