Feast of St. Lawrence

“Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Last year during my diaconate year, we’re assigned to a parish for at least a semester so that we could go there and practice our preaching. You’d be surprised at how many people still called me, “Father,” even after a whole semester, despite the totally different vestments and roles I as a deacon had at Mass. But then it dawned on me, 1) to have a little more charity because 2) I’m not sure how many priests ever talk about the difference between what I as a priest wear and what the deacon wears.

You’ll note two major differences between the deacon’s outermost vestment—which is called a “dalmatic”—and the priest’s outermost vestment—called a “chasuble.” The first noticeable difference is that a deacon’s dalmatic has sleeves. The idea is that within those sleeves, a deacon can hide alms for the poor; so, the sleeves represent the deacon’s generosity in his ministry of service, both to the priests and the poor. The second noticeable difference is the design of the embroidery. You’ll notice that the dalmatic has four straight lines, two running vertically and two running horizontally. This represents the gridiron, a symbol of the deacon forfeiting his life. Both of these symbols relate to our saint today.

St. Lawrence lived through the 200s in what is now Spain. He eventually met the Holy Father, Pope Sixtus II, who brought him to Rome and ordained him to the diaconate, made him Archdeacon of Rome, and placed him in charge of the Church’s finances. But in the persecution of the Emperor Valerian, Pope St. Sixtus was arrested while celebrating Mass and was executed immediately. Deacon Lawrence was brought before the Roman prefect, who demanded that Lawrence hand over the treasures of the Church within a few days.

Lawrence knew what he had to do. He quickly distributed all of the Church’s material possessions to the poor and marginalized of Rome. He came to the prefect at the appointed time, and when demanded where all the Church’s treasure was, Lawrence pointed to the poor of Rome and said, “Here are the treasures of the Church! You see, the Church is rich, far richer than your emperor!” The prefect was so furious, he had Lawrence roasted over a gridiron. After suffering a horrible agony, Lawrence still quipped, “I’m done on this side! Turn me over!” To this day, the deacon’s dalmatic bears the signs of St. Lawrence’s saintliness: his generosity and love of the poor, as well as his method of martyrdom.

But these vestments are not just for mere entertainment or some interesting symbology. No, these vestments are, first and foremost, offered to Almighty God for our own benefit. And that benefit is our salvation, in this case to teach us how to imitate blessed St. Lawrence, both in his generosity and in the giving of his life to God, all with a cheerful heart. God truly loves a cheerful giver; may we rejoice in the opportunities God gives us to love our neighbor, especially in the poor, and for the opportunity to be able to say to Him, “This is my body, given for you.”