Collect taken from the feast of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr.
Collect: O God, giver of that ardor of love for you by which Saint Lawrence was outstandingly faithful in service and glorious in martyrdom, grant that we may love what he loved and put into practice what he taught. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
“O God, giver of that ardor of love for you by which Saint Lawrence was outstandingly faithful in service and glorious in martyrdom,”
– Always we begin with recognizing the goodness of God. With a touch of poetic expression, we do that in this prayer, acknowledging that Lawrence’s “ardor of love” could only have come from God himself.
“grant that we may love what he loved and put into practice what he taught.”
– This is a rather simple request with a big implication. Children tend to take after their parents, loving what they love and following what they teach through their manner of life. So, we ask to take after this man whose spilled blood contributed greatly to the conversion of sinners and their new birth as children of God and of the Church.
Questions & Advice: Do you love with ardor? When you think of glory, what comes to mind? Whose example most impacts the way you live?
Learn from St Lawrence to love the poor; read about that love in the Catechism (2443-49). Spend some of your prayer time reflecting on how well you “treasure” those lowly ones for whom the Church cares. To celebrate St. Lawrence’s zeal and joy even while being cooked alive, have a barbecue!
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| Sancte Laurenti, ora pro nobis! |