My
name is Lawrence. I lived in the 3rd century. It was a dangerous time to be
a Christian, but Our Lord gave me amazing courage. I don’t know how I dared to
do some of the things I did. I remember one time when the Roman prefect demanded
that I bring the Church’s richest treasures and give them to him. I gathered a
group of poor people and brought them before the greedy man. “These are the
Church’s treasure,” I told him. In the end, I was arrested for professing my
faith, and I was killed by being roasted to death on this gridiron. But once
again Jesus gave me strength and courage. As I was being burned, I cried out,
“turn me over; I’m done on this side.”
Neri di
Bicci speaks: In my picture, I show Saint Lawrence as a young man, wearing a
dalmatic, which is a deacon’s robe, because he was a subdeacon of the Church in
Rome. He’s holding his gridiron and the palm that symbolizes his martyrdom. He
is looking straight at Jesus in my picture, because that’s what he did during
his short life!PRAYER
Saint Lawrence,
you were brave in the face of many dangers.
You were true to the Lord Jesus
through all the sufferings you endured.
Give us the courage to live the faith
we profess with our lips.
Saint Lawrence, pray for us!