Sermon by Leo the Great, on the Feast of S. Laurence the Martyr1177 S. Laurence was the chief Deacon in the time of Sextus II., and was martyred in the persecution of Valerian, 258, in the way detailed by Leo in this Sermon. His was a very favourite festival in the Middle Ages both in the East and West. (Aug. 10)

St. Lawrence was a deacon whose fearless love of God is legendary. Here we see a tribute to him by St. Leo the Great.

I. The example of the martyrs is most valuable.

While the height of all virtues, dearly-beloved, and the fullness of all righteousness is born of that love, where God and one’s neighbor is loved, surely in none is this love found more conspicuous and brighter than in the blessed martyrs; who are as near to our Lord Jesus, Who died for all men, in the imitation of His love, as in the likeness of their suffering. For, although that Love, where the Lord has redeemed us, cannot be equaled by any man’s kindness, because it is one thing that a man who is doomed to die one day should die for a righteous man, and another that One Who is free from the debt of sin should lay down His life for the wicked¹¹⁷⁸ Cf. Rom. v. 7, 8.: yet the martyrs also have done great service to all men, in that the Lord Who gave them boldness, has used it to show that the penalty of death and the pain of the cross need not be terrible to any of His followers, but might be imitated by many of them. If therefore no good man is good for himself alone, and no wise man’s wisdom befriends himself only, and the nature of true virtue is such that it leads many away from the dark error on which its light is shed, no model is more useful in teaching God’s people than that of the martyrs. Eloquence may make intercession easy, reasoning may effectually persuade; but yet examples are stronger than words, and there is more teaching in practice than in precept.

II. The Saint’s martyrdom described.

And how gloriously strong in this most excellent manner of doctrine the blessed martyr Laurentius is, by whose sufferings to-day is marked, even his persecutors were able to feel, when they found that his wondrous courage, born principally of love for Christ, not only did not yield itself, but also strengthened others by the example of his endurance. For when the fury of the gentile potentates was raging against Christ’s most chosen members, and attacked those especially who were of priestly rank, the wicked persecutor’s wrath was vented on Laurentius the deacon, who was pre-eminent not only in the performance of the sacred rites, but also in the management of the church’s property¹¹⁷⁹ It will be remembered that “the serving of tables” was from the first institution of the office one of the principal duties of the deacon (levita), see Acts vi. 1–6. This side of the office has latterly fallen into abeyance and is but slightly recognized in the English Ordinal., promising himself double spoil from one man’s capture: for if he forced him to surrender the sacred treasures, he would also drive him out of the pale of true religion. And so this man, so greedy of money and such a foe to the truth, arms himself with double weapon: with avarice to plunder the gold; with impiety to carry off Christ. He demands of the guileless guardian of the sanctuary that the church wealth on which his greedy mind was set should be brought to him. But the holy deacon showed him where he had them stored, by pointing to the many troops of poor saints, in the feeding and clothing of whom he had a store of riches which he could not lose, and which were the more entirely safe that the money had been spent on so holy a cause.

III. The description of his sufferings continued.

The baffled plunderer, therefore, frets, and blazing out into hatred of a religion, which had put riches to such a use, determines to pillage a still greater treasure by carrying off that sacred deposit¹¹⁸⁰ Depositum, viz. his faith, the παραθήκη of 1 Tim. vi. 20., wherewith he was enriched, as he could find no solid hoard of money in his possession. He orders Laurentius to renounce Christ, and prepares to ply the deacon’s stout courage with frightful tortures: and, when the first elicit nothing, fiercer follow. His limbs, torn and mangled by many cutting blows, are commanded to be broiled upon the fire in an iron framework¹¹⁸¹ Per cratem ferream usually represented in pictures, or statues of the saints as a gridiron., which was of itself already hot enough to burn him, and on which his limbs were turned from time to time, to make the torment fiercer, and the death more lingering.

IV. Laurentius has conquered his persecutor.

You gain nothing, you prevail nothing, O savage cruelty. His mortal frame is released from your devices, and, when Laurentius departs to heaven, you are vanquished. The flame of Christ’s love could not be overcome by your flames, and the fire which burnt outside was less keen than that which blazed within. You did nothing but serve the martyr in your rage, O persecutor: you did nothing but swell the reward in adding to the pain. For what did you cunningly devise, which did not rebound to the conqueror’s glory, when even the instruments of torture were counted as part of the triumph? Let us rejoice, then, dearly-beloved, with spiritual joy, and make our boast over the happy end of this illustrious man in the Lord, Who is “wonderful in His saints¹¹⁸² Ps. lxviii. 35 (LXX.).,” in whom He has given us a support and an example, and has so spread abroad his glory throughout the world, that, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the brightness of his deacon’s light shines, and Rome is become as famous in Laurentius as Jerusalem was ennobled by Stephen. By his prayer and intercession¹¹⁸³ Cf. Sermon LXXXII. c. 7. we trust at all times to be assisted; that, because all, as the Apostle says, “who wish to live holily in Christ, suffer persecution¹¹⁸⁴ 2 Tim. iii. 12.,” we may be strengthened with the spirit of love, and be fortified to overcome all temptations by the perseverance of steadfast faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf212.ii.v.xliv.html

Prayer to St. Lawrence: O glorious Saint Lawrence, Martyr and Deacon, who, being subjected to the most bitter torments, didst not lose thy faith nor thy constancy in confessing Jesus Christ, obtain in like manner for us such an active and solid faith, that we shall never be ashamed to be true followers of Jesus Christ, and fervent Christians in word and in deed. (http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Prayer_to_Saint_Lawrence.htm

My thoughts: I will not be so presumptuous as to think I could add anything to a sermon by St. Leo the Great! I will retell one story, and add another about St. Lawrence which should impress upon us that a good sense of humor is very necessary in our work as God’s disciples. When Lawrence was told to turn over all the Church’s treasures, he promised that he would do so. The next day, instead of bearing gold and silver, he showed up with all the Catholics in the town, proclaiming that the people of faith are the Church’s greatest treasure. I can just imagine how that went over. Then, when he was being “bar-b-qued” to death, he shouted to his executioners, “Turn me over, please, for I am quite done on this side.” A fearless nature, a good humor, and an unwavering faith in God: St. Lawrence is a saint who can give us all strength in times of persecution. St. Lawrence, pray for us.

Devotion for today: Feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross is a modern day saint who can lead us past our worship of the false god of intelligence to the true God of love.

A brief biography

Edith Stein was born to a Jewish family at Breslau on October 12, 1891. She was the youngest of 11 children. Her father died when she was two years old, and her hard-working and devout mother took over the care of her large family and timber business. However, Edith did not keep the strong faith of her mother, and eventually declared herself an atheist, saying: "deliberately and of my own free-will, I turned away from prayer". She was a talented student, and after finishing school with top results, she chose to study philosophy in Gottingen where she encountered many new ways of thinking which challenged her religious experiences and decisions.

Edith graduated and continued her philosophical study, achieving a doctorate degree. During this time, she went into Frankfurt Cathedral one day and saw a woman with a shopping basket going in to kneel for a brief prayer. She said later:"This was something totally new to me. In the synagogues and Protestant churches people simply went to the services. Here, however, I saw someone coming straight from the busy marketplace into this empty church, as if she was going to have an intimate conversation. It was something I never forgot". She found herself searching after the truth. One day she went to visit a young Protestant widow, uneasy about what to say to comfort her. However, she was surprised at the faith of the young woman and said: "this was the moment when my unbelief collapsed and Christ began to shine his light on me". One night during the summer of 1921 she found herself spending several weeks at the home of a fellow philosopher and his wife. She happened to pick up the autobiography of St Teresa of Jesus (of Avila) and read it all through the night, saying to herself as she finished reading at dawn: "This is the truth".

On 1st January 1922 Edith was baptized and received into the Catholic Church. It was a decision that her mother never accepted as long as she lived. Edith continued teaching philosophy and writing, and held dreams of finding a husband and a happy marriage. However, as darkness began to break over Germany in the 1930's, she sensed another call; to unite her life with the fate of her own Jewish people. Nazi law made it impossible for her to continue teaching, so she entered the Carmelite monastery of Cologne on 14 October 1933, saying: "Human activities cannot help us, but only the suffering of Christ. It is my desire to share it". Edith took the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.

As the anti-Semitism of the Nazis grew, in 1938 Edith was smuggled across the border into the Carmelite Convent of Echt in Holland. However, as the war escalated and Holland was occupied, the danger for Jews spread to that country. In August 1942, as retaliation against the protests of Dutch bishops to the treatment of Jews, many Jewish Christians were arrested, including Edith and her sister Rosa (who had also converted and was living at the Carmel in Echt). They were transported to the concentration camp at Auschwitz where Edith was gassed and cremated on 9th August 1942.

Her thoughts: The role and dignity of woman:

Edith has much to say to modern Western woman, who has lost sight of her destiny, her ‘feminine genius’ as Pope John Paul II called it. As a brilliant feminist scholar Edith was able to challenge certain assumptions of the day, arguing for greater involvement of women in the liturgical life of the Church, in the professions, and in the workplace. She was an intellectual leader of the fledgling women's movement in Germany after World War I. It is a remarkable tribute to her persona that she was able to harmonize these feminist aspirations with her abiding belief that at the deepest core of woman's personality one will find receptivity and motherhood. She saw receptivity and motherliness as woman's unique power, a power capable of transforming a home, workplace, professional environment, country, or society in ways that men cannot. The Edith Stein Foundation is an example of how the inspiration of Edith's life has influenced women's healthcare in the modern world.

In addition to these subjects, the life of Edith Stein can be an example to all those who are searching for the truth, especially young people. Many people in today's world describe themselves as "atheist", just like Edith once did. She can also be a friend to those who feel estranged from a family member because of religion or morals. As a highly educated and dedicated professor, she can be a role model for all those in the academic field. http://www.kilmacudcarmel.ie/edith.html

 Prayer written by St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross:

O my God, fill my soul with holy joy, courage and strength to serve you.
Enkindle your love in me and then walk with me along the next stretch of road before me. I do not see very far ahead, but when I have arrived where the horizon now closes down, a new prospect will open before me and I shall meet with peace.

Devotion for today: Feast of St. Dominic, founder of the “Black-robed Friars”

Scripture for meditation: Malachi 2:6-7
True doctrine was in his mouth, and no dishonesty was found upon his lips; he walked with me in integrity and in uprightness, and turned many away from evil; for the lips of the priest are to keep knowledge, and instruction is to be sought from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
The Life of St. Dominic: Dominic, founder of the great order of preaching friars which bears his name, was born in the year 1170 at Calaruega, Castile, Spain, of a noble family with illustrious connections…. Dominic's love of learning and his charity are both exemplified in a story of his student days. He had gathered a collection of religious books inscribed on parchment; these he greatly treasured, but one day he sold the whole lot that he might give the money thus obtained to some poor people. "I could not bear to prize dead skins," he said, "when living skins were starving and in need."…. When, two years later, the bishop was appointed by the King to go on an embassy to negotiate a marriage for the King's son, he chose Dominic to accompany him. On the way, they passed through Languedoc, in southern France, where the Albigensian heresy was winning many adherents. The host at an inn where they stopped was an Albigensian, and Dominic spent a whole night in discussion with him. By morning he had convinced the man of his error. From that day, it appears, Dominic knew with certainty that the work God required of him was an active life of teaching in the world….(Albigensian doctrine was based on a dualism of two eternally opposing principles, good and evil, all matter being regarded as evil and the creator of the material world as a devil. Hence the doctrine of the Incarnation was denied, and the Old Testament and the Sacrament rejected)….The way of life Dominic enjoined on others he was the first to follow himself. He rarely ate anything but bread and soup; if he drank wine it was two thirds water; his bed was the floor, unless-as sometimes happened-he was so exhausted that he lay down at the side of the road to sleep….In 1208, after the murder of a papal legate, Pope Innocent called on the Christian princes to suppress the heresy by force of arms….Dominic had no part in this terrible civil war. Courageously he continued to preach, going wherever he was called, seeking only the good of those who hated him. Many attempts were made on his life….Dominic rebuked the bishop of Toulouse for traveling with soldiers, servants, and pack-mules. "The enemies of the faith cannot be overcome like that," he said. "Arm yourself with prayer instead of a sword; be clothed with humility instead of fine raiment." Offered a bishopric three times, Dominic each time declined, knowing well that his work lay elsewhere…. His great desire was to revive a true apostolic spirit in the ministers of the altar, for too many of the Catholic clergy lived for their own pleasure, without scruple ….Dominic did not find it easy to get formal approval for his preaching order….It is said that Innocent had decided to withhold his consent, but on the next night dreamed he saw the Lateran Church tottering as if on the verge of collapse; Dominic stepped forward to support it. Be that as it may, the Pope finally gave oral approval to Dominic's plan…. The little company which met at Prouille in August, 1216, consisted of eight Frenchmen, eight Spaniards, and one Englishman…. During this time Dominic formed friendships with Cardinal Ugolino and Francis of Assisi. The story goes that in a dream Dominic saw the sinful world threatened by the divine anger but saved by the intercession of the Virgin, who pointed out to her Son two figures, one of whom Dominic recognized as himself, while the other was a stranger. The next day in church he saw a poorly dressed fellow whom he recognized at once as the man in his dream. It was Francis of Assisi. He went up to him and embraced him, exclaiming, "You are my companion and must walk with me. For if we hold together no earthly power can withstand us." This meeting of the founders of the two great orders of friars, whose special mission was to go out into the world to save it, is still commemorated twice a year, when on their respective feast days the brothers of both orders sing Mass together, and afterwards sit at the same table. Dominic's character was in marked contrast to that of Francis, but they stood united on the common ground of faith and charity…. Although Dominic had hoped to journey to barbarous lands to preach and eventually to achieve martyrdom, this was denied him. The ministry of the Word, however, was to be the chief aim of his great order. Those members who had a talent for preaching were never to rest, except during the intervals assigned to them for retirement. They must prepare for their high calling by prayer, self-denial, and obedience. Dominic frequently quoted the saying: "A man who governs his passions is master of the world. We must either rule them, or be ruled by them. It is better to be the hammer than the anvil." He taught his friars the art of reaching the hearts of their hearers by animating them with a love of men. Once, after delivering a stirring sermon, he was asked in what book he had studied it. "In none," he answered, "but that of love."…. he fell ill and was taken to the country. He knew the end was near, and made his last testament in a few simple, loving words: "These, my much loved ones, are the bequests which I leave to you as my sons; have charity among yourselves; hold fast to humility; keep a willing poverty….he was only fifty-six years old. The saint died "in Brother Moneta's bed, because he had none of his own, in Brother Moneta's habit, because he had not another to replace the one he had long been wearing." Jordan of Saxony, Dominic's successor as master-general of the order, wrote of him: "Nothing disturbed the even temper of his soul except his quick sympathy with every sort of suffering. And as a man's face shows whether he is happy or not, it was easy to see from his friendly and joyous countenance that he was at peace inwardly." When in 1234 Pope Gregory IX... signed the decree of canonization, he remarked that he no more doubted the sanctity of Dominic than he doubted that of St. Peter or St. Paul.
http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/DOMINIC.HTM
St. Dominic, pray for us, that we may seek to do the will of God, that we may tame our passions, and that in adversity we may not rely on our own power, but on God’s. Help us to imitate your desire to bring all souls to Christ by living and teaching the gospel of love. Help us to lead our lives in such a way, that upon our death, no one might “doubt our sanctity.” Amen