Saint Lawrence – 10 August

Readings: 2 Corinthians 9:6-10; Psalm 112; John 12:24-26

In his poem Little Gidding T.S. Eliot speaks of ‘a condition of complete simplicity (costing not less than everything)’. It comes to mind when reflecting on the readings chosen for today’s feast, the feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr. ‘God loves a cheerful giver’ is found in the first reading today, taken from Saint Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians.

Few saints fulfil the meaning of these expressions as fully and as clearly as Saint Lawrence. It is why he has always been one of the principal saints of the Church of Rome, frequently represented in the mosaics and frescoes of Rome’s churches, his memory kept each year as a feast in the universal Church.

A deacon in the first place, Lawrence was charged with the administration of charity in the community of Rome. Famously he indicated to would-be persecutors seeking the treasures of the Church that these were to be found in the streets and dwellings of the city where he spent his days, that they were in fact the poor of the city with the care of whose welfare he is charged.

Lawrence understands perfectly Paul’s teaching given in 2 Corinthians 8-9, that in a Christian context almsgiving and sharing of goods are to be thought about always with reference to grace. The grace of God in Christ is God’s generosity to us, the way in which He transforms our poverty through His riches. As we sow, so will we reap, says Paul, the more generously we give the more generously we will receive.

Lawrence the deacon is also Lawrence the martyr. Like Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr and also a deacon of the Church, Lawrence gave things, gave time, gave himself, and in the end gave his life – for his brothers and sisters. In his case the grain of wheat was not buried in the earth but slowly roasted. That human life given in this world out of love and service, is preserved in the eternal life. He is one of the most striking examples of the ‘condition of complete simplicity’ which the follower of Christ is called to live just as his death confirms that entering into that condition costs not less than everything.

By his life of service and his death for love Lawrence confirms the words of Jesus which we hear today: ‘the one who loves his life in this world will lose it, the one who loses his life for my sake will keep it for the eternal life’. With Saint Lawrence’s help may we persevere in serving Christ, especially in His poorest members. May we serve Christ to the end as He served us, and loved us, to the end.