WEBVTT 00:00:00.460 --> 00:00:04.559 Today would be St. Eupolis, the Archdeacon of 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:08.480 Catania in Sicily. I mention that only because 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:15.740 when he was being persecuted and on trial, the 00:00:15.740 --> 00:00:18.839 magistrate urged him for the last time to sacrifice, 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:22.960 that is to sacrifice to the emperor or to whatever 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:25.940 god, it's the rest of the story. And he replied, 00:00:26.120 --> 00:00:30.859 yes, yes, yes, I will sacrifice. But it is I, 00:00:31.059 --> 00:00:35.020 myself, that I will sacrifice, offer in sacrifice 00:00:35.020 --> 00:00:39.399 to Christ my God. I have nothing else to sacrifice. 00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:44.880 Your efforts are futile in changing my mind. 00:00:44.939 --> 00:00:46.840 Because, of course, you know how it says you 00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:49.520 can't negotiate with terrorists. You can't also 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:53.340 negotiate with tyrants. They demand that you 00:00:53.340 --> 00:00:57.640 accept a lie, something that's not real. And 00:00:57.640 --> 00:01:01.149 we... stake our life on what is real, that is 00:01:01.149 --> 00:01:05.530 Christ and the resurrection. So they're witnesses. 00:01:05.629 --> 00:01:08.549 They bear testimony, the martyrs do, with their 00:01:08.549 --> 00:01:13.250 lives to the gospel, the good news. Your efforts 00:01:13.250 --> 00:01:18.790 are futile. I am a Christian. If you'll indulge 00:01:18.790 --> 00:01:23.269 me, however, today was St. Lawrence Day, and 00:01:23.269 --> 00:01:27.019 so... So maybe many of you have heard this story 00:01:27.019 --> 00:01:29.239 a number of times. You're free to go if you want. 00:01:29.459 --> 00:01:33.260 But I'd like to read just an excerpt from the 00:01:33.260 --> 00:01:36.799 Synoxarion on the martyrdom of St. Lawrence. 00:01:36.920 --> 00:01:40.540 It occurred in the year 251. He was archdeacon 00:01:40.540 --> 00:01:45.299 of Pope Sixtus of Rome. Pope Sixtus had been 00:01:45.299 --> 00:01:50.340 arrested and was on his way to martyrdom. And 00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:55.209 his archdeacon, Lawrence, that's a very important 00:01:55.209 --> 00:01:57.469 position in the Church of Rome, the position 00:01:57.469 --> 00:02:01.329 of archdeacon, wanted to follow him. And the 00:02:01.329 --> 00:02:04.730 bishop replies, no, my son, I'm not abandoning 00:02:04.730 --> 00:02:08.050 you, but greater combat is reserved for you. 00:02:08.090 --> 00:02:10.789 You can't come with me. I'm not abandoning you. 00:02:11.210 --> 00:02:15.430 We, he says, as old men, are engaged in light 00:02:15.430 --> 00:02:19.949 combat. In other words, his execution was going 00:02:19.949 --> 00:02:25.080 to be swift. But you, But you, a more glorious 00:02:25.080 --> 00:02:27.520 triumph over the tyrant awaits you as a young 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:31.000 man in your full strength. Do not weep. In three 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:34.139 days, the deacon will follow the priest. Then 00:02:34.139 --> 00:02:36.819 before giving him the kiss of peace, he confided 00:02:36.819 --> 00:02:40.000 the church and its possessions to him to administer 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:43.800 them in his name. Lawrence immediately began 00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:46.060 to accomplish his God -given task, distributing 00:02:46.060 --> 00:02:48.919 the church's wealth to the clerics and the poor. 00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:55.879 He met a widow named Kiriaki, who was hiding 00:02:55.879 --> 00:02:58.939 many Christians in her house. Under cover of 00:02:58.939 --> 00:03:01.680 night, he brought them money and clothes and 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:04.080 then visited other houses, healing the sick, 00:03:04.180 --> 00:03:06.360 washing the feet of the faithful in imitation 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:10.879 of the Lord. Wouldn't we like a person like that 00:03:10.879 --> 00:03:16.199 to be here? As the Pope had been condemned to 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:19.139 be beheaded on the Appian Way, St. Lawrence went 00:03:19.139 --> 00:03:21.219 there, crossing his path, cried out to him, Father, 00:03:21.300 --> 00:03:23.780 do not leave me, for I have already distributed 00:03:23.780 --> 00:03:27.099 the treasures you confided to me. Hearing him 00:03:27.099 --> 00:03:30.259 speak of treasures, the soldiers immediately 00:03:30.259 --> 00:03:33.819 seized him, treasures, and took him before the 00:03:33.819 --> 00:03:37.659 tribunal, the tribune Parthenius, who notified 00:03:37.659 --> 00:03:40.259 the emperor. Lawrence was thrown into prison, 00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:43.400 and the tribune Hippolytus was appointed to guard 00:03:43.400 --> 00:03:47.490 him. In the prison, Lawrence healed and converted 00:03:47.490 --> 00:03:50.849 a blind man named Lucillus by his prayers, later 00:03:50.849 --> 00:03:54.090 baptized him and the 19 members of his household. 00:03:55.069 --> 00:03:59.849 The deacon was busy in prison. He wasn't bewailing 00:03:59.849 --> 00:04:05.509 his situation. He continued his divine work for 00:04:05.509 --> 00:04:10.409 God in every single way. Nothing can separate 00:04:10.409 --> 00:04:13.030 us from the love of God, says St. Paul. Here's 00:04:13.030 --> 00:04:15.969 proof. When the news of the healing spread, numerous 00:04:15.969 --> 00:04:19.810 other blind people massed to the saint and all 00:04:19.810 --> 00:04:23.350 were healed. Lawrence was summoned to appear 00:04:23.350 --> 00:04:28.250 before Valerian, local governor, who demanded 00:04:28.250 --> 00:04:31.009 that he hand over the aforementioned church's 00:04:31.009 --> 00:04:33.769 treasures. Lawrence asked for a large number 00:04:33.769 --> 00:04:35.829 of carts to be made available in three days' 00:04:35.910 --> 00:04:41.620 time. Valerian was just rubbing his hands. in 00:04:41.620 --> 00:04:44.519 anticipation of this. Meanwhile, he assembled 00:04:44.519 --> 00:04:47.879 the blind, the lame, and all sorts of sick people 00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:52.139 in Hippolytus' house. Remember, Hippolytus was 00:04:52.139 --> 00:04:56.120 the tribune, he was the guard, and he had become 00:04:56.120 --> 00:04:59.500 a Christian. He then placed them on the carts, 00:04:59.699 --> 00:05:02.980 the blind, the lame, and all sorts of sick people, 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:06.600 and presented them at the palace, saying, here 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:09.110 are the eternal treasures of the church. which 00:05:09.110 --> 00:05:11.250 will never diminish but will always multiply, 00:05:11.589 --> 00:05:16.350 treasures present in each and found in all. Overwhelmed 00:05:16.350 --> 00:05:19.810 with rage, Valerian screamed, sacrifice to the 00:05:19.810 --> 00:05:22.810 gods, forget this magic art in which you trust. 00:05:23.490 --> 00:05:27.389 Now that's important. There's so much testimony 00:05:27.389 --> 00:05:30.029 in ancient writings that the Romans believed 00:05:30.029 --> 00:05:32.790 that Christians, early Christians, were practicing 00:05:32.790 --> 00:05:36.750 Jewish magic of some sort. Otherwise, how could 00:05:36.750 --> 00:05:41.709 they do these things? St. Lawrence replied that 00:05:41.709 --> 00:05:43.730 nothing would induce him to prefer the worship 00:05:43.730 --> 00:05:46.490 of demons to the creator of all. He was handed 00:05:46.490 --> 00:05:49.709 over to torture, then thrown into prison. After 00:05:49.709 --> 00:05:52.410 a second interrogation in Tiberias, his palace 00:05:52.410 --> 00:05:55.470 on the Palatine Hill, red -hot sword blades were 00:05:55.470 --> 00:05:57.930 applied to his flesh. He was beaten with leaded 00:05:57.930 --> 00:06:01.350 whips and chains, studded with iron hooks. Seeing 00:06:01.350 --> 00:06:04.209 his heavenly endurance, Romanos, one of the soldiers, 00:06:04.310 --> 00:06:09.069 was converted and immediately executed. A third 00:06:09.069 --> 00:06:11.290 interrogation took place in the bath situated 00:06:11.290 --> 00:06:14.230 near the palace of Sallust. The emperor had the 00:06:14.230 --> 00:06:17.029 saint's jaw broken with rocks, then ordered that 00:06:17.029 --> 00:06:19.490 he be stripped and placed upon an iron grill 00:06:19.490 --> 00:06:22.870 over burning coals. Ordered for the last time 00:06:22.870 --> 00:06:24.850 to sacrifice to the gods, Lawrence declared, 00:06:25.110 --> 00:06:29.250 I, like Eupolis, the archdeacon, I offer myself 00:06:29.250 --> 00:06:32.810 as an acceptable and sweet -smelling sacrifice 00:06:32.810 --> 00:06:35.910 to the only true God, for the sacrifice which 00:06:35.910 --> 00:06:41.040 pleases God is a broken... As the executioners 00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:43.060 were stoking the fire, he said to the tyrant, 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:46.379 Take note, most wretched man, that this fire 00:06:46.379 --> 00:06:50.439 brings me relief, but to you eternal torment. 00:06:51.639 --> 00:06:54.220 Now I am cooked on one side, turn me therefore 00:06:54.220 --> 00:06:56.860 to the other. When they had turned to him, he 00:06:56.860 --> 00:06:58.959 offered a last prayer. I give thee thanks, Lord 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:02.560 Jesus Christ, that I have been found worthy to 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:06.079 enter the gates of the kingdom. Then he gave 00:07:06.079 --> 00:07:11.689 up his spirit. He was then buried on land belonging 00:07:11.689 --> 00:07:15.430 to the widow Kiriaki. They were denounced, and 00:07:15.430 --> 00:07:21.649 she and Hippolytus were soon arrested. And the 00:07:21.649 --> 00:07:25.610 rest of the story you can read. Many, many churches 00:07:25.610 --> 00:07:30.790 were built in honor of this saint to commemorate 00:07:30.790 --> 00:07:34.850 this amazing archdeacon. He is called equal to 00:07:34.850 --> 00:07:39.920 the apostles in the West. And he is here on our 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:42.180 deacon doors. Through the prayers of the Holy 00:07:42.180 --> 00:07:45.759 Martyr, Archdeacon Lawrence of Rome, Lord Jesus 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:47.279 Christ our God, have mercy on us.