Tomorrow, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Lawrence, a popular choice for “favorite saint” amongst Catholics. Lawrence was a deacon of the early Church, serving in Rome in the 3rd Century. He was known for his tremendous love for the poor. When the emperor Valerian accused the Church of hoarding tremendous wealth and ordered it to be surrendered to the empire, Lawrence gathered the city’s poor into one location. When the emperor himself arrived to collect the treasure, Lawrence presented the poor and destitute to him, saying, “Behold the wealth of the Church!” Lawrence was subsequently arrested and sentenced to be executed by being grilled alive. He is perhaps most famous for his final words during his execution. While lying on the grill, Lawrence joked with his executioners, telling them: “You can turn me over now; I am done on this side!” 

In light of the consecration of our new altar at the end of June, a lot of people have been asking whose relics were placed in the altar. I figured this would be the easiest way to share it with everyone. 

How far would you be willing to go for the Gospel? For Christ? Often times, when we meet resistance, let alone outright opposition, to the Christian life, we tend to shrink away and hide our faith. I am not referring solely to speaking about the faith, but rather just simply living it. This was not the case for St. Isaac Jogues, whose feast day we celebrated earlier this month.