The liturgy for today interrupts the ordinary cycle of readings because we celebrate the feast of an important saint, St. Lawrence. Lawrence was a third century martyr who was very popular in the early Church. He was a deacon, administrator of the Roman Church. When the pope, Sixtus II, was martyred the Imperial prefect ordered Lawrence to produce the riches of the Church in four days. At the appointed time Lawrence brought to the prefect the poor, the sick, the crippled, the blind, the widows and orphans. “These are the treasures of the Church,” he announced. The prefect was not amused and Lawrence was martyred. The gospel assigned for this feast quotes the words of Jesus: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Lawrence’s martyrdom proves the truth of that saying since his death has inspired countless generations of Christians to discover the true treasures of the Church are discovered in caring for those in need.
