"Behold, the Church's Treasure!"

On this day, in the year 258, Saint Lawrence, a deacon of the Church of Rome, was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Valerian. As the story goes, St. Lawrence was entrusted by Pope St. Sixtus II with the temporal goods of the Church of Rome to be distributed daily to the poor in the city. When the greedy and corrupt emperor heard of this rumored wealth, he sent his prefect to the deacon Lawrence and demanded that he turn it all over to the imperial treasury.

Confronted with this demand, Lawrence asked for three days to gather the Church's wealth. During the first two days, Lawrence gave away all of the Church's property to the needy. Then, on the third day, the defiant deacon marched to the prefect of the city of Rome with the poor, the homeless, and the ill following behind him. Pointing to this band of outcasts - marginalized, impoverished, and dejected - Lawrence told the emperor's prefect: "Behold, the Church's treasure!" This act of defiance led to his arrest, condemnation, and death. St. Lawrence is honored in the Church as a saint and martyr.

"St. Lawrence Distributing Alms to the Poor" by Fra Angelico

St. Lawrence's defiant words to the prefect should still challenge us in our time! First, we are challenged to consider our relationship with wealth and temporal goods. Our material means are meant to satisfy our needs, and in turn, to help others live a life of dignity, relative comfort, and peace. Are we willing to share our gifts with others who are in need? How attached are we to our wealth? St. Lawrence also challenges us to see the poor as our greatest treasure. In the name of Jesus and his Church, we are called to care for every individual who suffers from the indignity of material poverty, as well as to minister to those struggling with spiritual poverty.

Like St. Lawrence, we must embrace the poor, grow to know each one of them by name, and discover their stories. In doing so, we will see ourselves in every poor man, woman, and child. In embracing the poor, we will come close to God, who in Christ Jesus, became poor for our sake. When we embrace the poor, we embrace our truest and only treasure.

St. Lawrence, pray for us!