St. Lawrence from "The Disputation over the Trinity" by Andrea del Sarto

Today the Church commemorates the feast of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr, who is familiar to most Christians for the jests he made while upon a glowing gridiron, "Now you may turn me over, my body is roasted on this side" and " "At last I am finished, you may now take from me and eat." These words are reminiscent of the words of St. Ignatius of Antioch as he awaited martyrdom, "I am the wheat of the Lord and must be ground by the teeth of lions to become the pure bread of the Lord Jesus Christ." In fact the Eucharistic overtones in St. Lawrence's words become clearer when we consider he was archdeacon of Rome, responsible for the preparation of the altar and assisting Pope Sixtus II offer the sacrifice of the Mass. Further when Sixtus was arrested, Lawrence pleaded, "Father, where are you going without your son? Where are you hastening, O priest, without your deacon? Never before did you offer the holy Sacrifice without assistants. In what way have I displeased you? In what way have you found me unfaithful in my office? Oh, try me again and prove to yourself whether you have chosen an unworthy minister for the service of the Church. So far you have been trusting me with distributing the blood of the Lord."

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St. Lawrence is not only commemorated in the Canon of the Mass but also in the prayers of thanksgiving recited by the priest, when he asks that God "extinguish the flames of vice, even as Thou didst strengthen blessed Lawrence to overcome his fiery torments" Dr. Pius Parsch notes this prayer may have originated with the custom of the pope divesting and making thanksgiving in the chapel dedicated to the saint in the Lateran palace.

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The blows of the executioner, flames, torments, chains,

the faith of blessed Lawrence alone could conquer

Weeping, Damasus has decked this altar with gifts

in admiration of the merits of so illustrious a matryr.

(From the inscription on the martyr's tomb)