Sermon by S. Leo the Great: Sermon 85: On the Birthday of S. Laurence

 

 

THEN the power of the  heathen was raging  against Christ's chosen members, and was especially seeking out those in priestly orders, the wicked persecutor bore down on the Levite Laurence, who was pre-eminent in distributing the Church's substance, as well as in ministering the sacraments; the persecutor promised himself a two-fold booty from one man, for if he could make him hand over the holy funds, he would also make him an apostate from the true religion.

THIS man, then, was furnished with a double motive, greed for money, and hatred of the truth: avarice, for he would seize the treasure, wickedness for he would rob Christ. He orders the spotless minister of the sanctuary to bring him the Church's wealth, which he so greedily desires. The most chaste Levite, to show him where that treasure lay, brought him a great crowd of the holy poor, on whose food and clothing he had invested those resources so that they could never be lost; for they were all the more safe, for the holy way in which they had been spent.

THUS frustrated, the robber rages, and seething with hatred for a religion which had appointed such use for wealth, he tries to steal a higher treasure from him in whose hands he found no money; he attempts to rob him of that wealth which made him rich in holiness. He orders Laurence to renounce Christ, and prepares fearful tortures to overcome the Levite's most steadfast strength of soul; when the first tortures are of no avail worse ones follow. He orders his lacerated limbs, cut by many stripes, to be roasted over a fire; so that the torture should be more severe and the suffering prolonged, his body was to be turned from side to side on the gridiron, the bars Of which were themselves burning hot by reason of the slow fire beneath

O RAGING cruelty, gaining nothing, obtaining nothing! That which can die is withdrawn from thy tortures, and Laurence goes forth to heaven, while thou failest with thy flames. The love of Christ could not be overcome by flames. The fire which licked around him was slower than that which burned within. Thou didst rage, O persecutor of a martyr; thou didst rage, and by increasing his tortures thou didst help him to his palm. For what could thy imagination find that was not conducive to the victor's glory, when the very instruments of torture turned to the honor of his triumph? Let us rejoice, therefore, with spiritual joy, beloved brethren, and in the most happy end of this illustrious man let us glory in the Lord, who is wonderful in his Saints, in whom he hath given us both help and example. He hath thus made his glory to shine throughout the world, that from the rising up of the sun unto the going down of the same, amidst the shining brightness of the Levitical lights, as Jerusalem is made glorious by Stephen, so Rome is made illustrious by Laurence.