Happy Saturday Digital neighbors! Good morning Friends & Refugees, Early Birds & Later Dayers, Conversants, Lurkers and Lost, hey there Phamily & Misfits, Awakening Wonders & Curious Questioners and finally all of you ADD Irregulars, WSN Aficionados and Caffeinated Curmudgeons!

St. Lawrence the Martyr is on the docket in Cath-o-landia to celebrate this morning. We remember and thank God for the witness of Lawrence’s faith and love. Praise God alone, but thank God for the good people, living and dead, who witness to the power of faith. Of course, you will find some misguided souls in Catholicism who will talk about “praying to the saints” and attribute to certain saints answered prayers and the like. God alone answers prayer, but as Catholics we believe that saints can pray for us and with us. Some become patrons for particular causes because of their life or witness in the face of death, but it always and only God who does the answering of prayer offered in communion with a particular individual.

St. Lawrence was a deacon in the 3rd century. He suffered martyrdom during Emperor Valerian’s persecution, shortly after Pope Saint Sixtus II and Companions were killed. St. Ambrose of Milan wrote about St. Lawrence and said when the prefect of Rome demanded the Church’s treasures, St. Lawrence brought forth the poor, widowed, maimed and lepers. He declared these people greater than any treasure the emperor could possess. Constantine the Great built an oratory over his burial site which has been enlarged and beautified by successive rulers. It remains today as the basilica of San Lorenzo.

Lawrence was known for his wit and was roasted to death as his form of execution. As he was dying, he prompted his executions to roll him over because he was done on “this side.” Lawrence was a joyful soul that cared for the poor and suffering and is remembered for his service and ultimately his sacrifice in witness to Christ. Lawrence is the patron saint invoked by fellow deacons, people who serve the poor, and finally cooks. Cooks???? Who says the church doesn’t have a sense of humor? Either way, I hope you have friends who help you celebrate your faith (if you believe in God) and celebrate life. May your faith be thoroughly seasoned with humor so that you can laugh at the trials of life, share joy with your neighbors and cultivate a perspective that that is rich in gratitude. St. Lawrence, pray for us! And don’t forget to pass the bar-b-que sauce!