![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/GothicLawrenceWeb2.jpeg?w=240\" "\\"Saint")
<\/a>\u201cKeeper of the Treasures\u201d In the confused days after the martyrdom of Pope Sixtus<\/a>, the administration of the Roman churches fell to the Deacon, Lawrence. He was captured by the Imperial authorities, but he bargained for his release. <\/p>\n The prefect of Rome said that if Lawrence would hand over the riches of the Church to the Imperial authorities, he would grant Lawrence his freedom. <\/p>\n Lawrence asked for three days to gather together the wealth. During those three days, Lawrence posted the Holy Chalice<\/a> to his brother in Spain. This chalice, now known as The Chalice of Valencia<\/a><\/i> is most probably the Holy Grail – the cup used by Christ and the apostles at the Last Supper. <\/p>\n The Valencia Chalice, thought to be the Holy Grail. Lawrence then distributed as much of the remaining Church property to the poor as possible. <\/p>\n On the third day, at the head of a small delegation, he presented himself to the prefect. When the prefect ordered him to give up the treasures of the Church, Lawrence presented the members of his delegation: the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the suffering. He told the prefect that these <\/em>were the true treasures of the Church. <\/p>\n High altar at the basilica of Legend has it that at one point the martyr called out to his executioners, “turn me over – I’m done on this side!”<\/p>\n Clearly, Saint Lawrence was something of a smart-alec.<\/p>\n The saint’s remains now reside at the great Roman basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura<\/a>. There are little carvings of a gridiron on the door lintels, which I always thought was a nice touch.<\/p>\n From a homily by Saint Augustine: <\/p>\n The Roman Church commends this day to us as the blessed Lawrence\u2019s day of triumph, on which he trod down the world as it roared and raged against him; spurned it as it coaxed and wheedled him; and in each case, conquered the devil as he persecuted him. <\/p>\n For in that Church, you see, as you have regularly been told, he performed the office of deacon; it was there that he administered the sacred chalice of Christ\u2019s blood; there that he shed his own blood for the name of Christ. <\/p>\n The blessed apostle John clearly explained the mystery of the Lord\u2019s supper when he said Just as Christ laid down his life for us, so we too ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.<\/em> St Lawrence understood this, my brethren, and he did it; and he undoubtedly prepared things similar to what he received at that table. He loved Christ in his life, he imitated him in his death.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It is no accident that today, the feast of the great martyr deacon, is the day that the Archdiocese of Seattle has chosen to open the application process for the diaconate.<\/p>\n After five years<\/a> of discernment and prayer, I will be entering the next chapter of this process. The applications are due on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception<\/a>, December 8.<\/p>\n Mind you, it could be a very short chapter indeed. My application could easily be rejected for a host of reasons. It is – as all things are – in God’s hands.<\/p>\n Please pray for me, and pray for all men discerning a vocation to the diaconate.<\/p>\n O God, giver of that ardor of love for you Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, Amen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today is the feast of the deacon martyr, Saint Lawrence. There are so many stories about him, that it’s hard to sum him up briefly. In the confused days after the martyrdom of Pope Sixtus, the administration of the Roman churches fell to the Deacon, Lawrence. He was captured by the Imperial authorities, but he bargained for his release. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,19,16,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-moments-in-time","category-pray","category-saint","category-vocation"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1aGBK-mhR","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":100037,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/saint-lawrence-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":85675,"position":0},"title":"Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr","author":"Thom","date":"10 August 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cKeeper of the Treasures\u201d by Deacon Lawrence Klimecki the feast of the Deacon martyr, Saint Lawrence. There are so many stories about him, that it's hard to sum him up briefly. In the confused days after the martyrdom of Pope Sixtus, the administration of the Roman churches fell to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/GothicLawrenceWeb2.jpeg?fit=500%2C814&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":105714,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/saint-lawrence-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":85675,"position":1},"title":"Saint Lawrence: Deacon, Martyr, Grail-Bearer","author":"Thom","date":"10 August 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"the feast of the Deacon martyr, Saint Lawrence. There are so many stories about him, that it's hard to sum him up briefly. \u201cKeeper of the Treasures\u201d by Deacon Lawrence Klimecki In the confused days after the martyrdom of Pope Sixtus, the administration of the Roman churches fell to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/GothicLawrenceWeb2.jpeg?fit=500%2C814&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":108052,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/saint-lawrence-deacon-martyr-grail-bearer\/","url_meta":{"origin":85675,"position":2},"title":"Saint Lawrence: Deacon, Martyr, Grail-Bearer","author":"Thom","date":"10 August 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Saint Lawrence, the Deacon martyr whose feast is today. Many is the time I've sought his intercession. There are so many stories about him that it's hard to sum him up briefly, although Pope Saint Leo the Great did his best: \"The Lord has desired to exalt his glorious name\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Lawrence-before-Valerianus.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Lawrence-before-Valerianus.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Lawrence-before-Valerianus.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":106523,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/saint-lawrence-2021\/","url_meta":{"origin":85675,"position":3},"title":"Saint Lawrence: Deacon, Martyr, Grail-Bearer","author":"Thom","date":"10 August 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Saint Lawrence, the Deacon martyr whose feast is today. Many is the time I've sought his intercession. There are so many stories about him that it's hard to sum him up briefly, although Pope Saint Leo the Great did his best: \"The Lord has desired to exalt his glorious name\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/GothicLawrenceWeb2.jpeg?fit=500%2C814&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":107111,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/saint-lawrence-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":85675,"position":4},"title":"Saint Lawrence: Deacon, Martyr, Grail-Bearer","author":"Thom","date":"10 August 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Saint Lawrence, the Deacon martyr whose feast is today. Many is the time I've sought his intercession. There are so many stories about him that it's hard to sum him up briefly, although Pope Saint Leo the Great did his best: \"The Lord has desired to exalt his glorious name\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/GothicLawrenceWeb2.jpeg?fit=500%2C814&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":89886,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/saint-lawrence-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":85675,"position":5},"title":"Vigil of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr","author":"Thom","date":"09 August 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Tomorrow is the feast of the Deacon martyr, Saint Lawrence. There are so many stories about him, that it's hard to sum him up briefly. In the confused days after the martyrdom of Pope Sixtus, the administration of the Roman churches fell to the Deacon, Lawrence. He was captured by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/GothicLawrenceWeb2.jpeg?fit=500%2C814&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85675"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87554,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85675\/revisions\/87554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
by Deacon Lawrence Klimecki<\/p><\/div>
\nT<\/span>oday is the feast of the deacon martyr, Saint Lawrence<\/a>. There are so many stories about him, that it’s hard to sum him up briefly. <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Holy-Grail.jpg?resize=300%2C411\")
<\/a>
The agate cup at top is dated to first century Judea.
The remainder is a medieval ornamentation.<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/san-lorenzo.jpg?w=240\" "\\"san-lorenzo\\"")
<\/a>
San Lorenzo fuori le Mura<\/p><\/div>The prefect was not amused. He had Lawrence roasted to death on a gridiron. <\/p>\n\n
![\"Diaconate](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Capture.png?resize=587%2C432\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
\nby which Saint Lawrence was outstandingly faithful
\nin service
\nand glorious in martyrdom,
\ngrant that we may love what he loved
\nand put into practice what he taught.<\/p>\n
\nwho lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
\none God, for ever and ever.<\/p>\n