Today the Church remembers Laurence. We do not know much about Laurence, other than he was a deacon. Laurence was one of the seven deacons of the Church of Rome and was executed on 10th August 258, four days after Sixtus II and his companions. By now, few of the facts of his life are known for certain: he was probably a Spaniard from Toledo. By the sixth century, it was one of the most important feasts throughout much of western Christendom. His name occurs (with Sixtus’s) in the Roman Canon of the Mass.
Acts 6:1-4, first mentions the deacon’s role:
In those days, as the number of disciples grew, the ones who spoke Greek complained that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food, as compared with the widows of those who spoke Hebrew. The Twelve assembled the community of the disciples and said, "It is not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Look around among your own number, brothers, for seven men acknowledged to be deeply spiritual and prudent, and we shall appoint them to this task. This will permit us to concentrate on prayer and the ministry of the word." This proposal was unanimously accepted by the community.
A deacon, then, is a servant. That's what the word means in Greek and that's what deacons are for: to serve.
Laurence must have excelled in his service and love. As he was much loved by the community he left behind.
You and I are called to be deacons, we are called to serve, to be Our Lord’s body in society, to be on fire with love, salt and light, drawing people to Christ.
If we are to fix this world, we must be like Laurence, we must allow Christ to consume us, so we can be his servants.
