The Treasures of the Church

     The Church is often criticized for her wealth and treasures.  In a world that struggles with poverty and need, the Church can appear to be wallowing in material wealth.  There may be times when those criticisms may bear looking into, but there are also circumstances when the wealth and trappings that the Church possesses are held in trust for the good of civilization.  Whether it is property or building or art or history or learning, the Church has preserved tremendous legacies that other civilizations have let go.  This, too, is a part of the mission of the Church.  We get into trouble when we lose our sense of balance as to the priorities of our mission and goal.

     Lawrence, whose feast is today, was one of the deacons of the Church of Rome during the pontificate of Pope Sixtus.  When the pope was martyred in 258, Lawrence was skipped over, and was upset.  Pope Sixtus assured him that he would follow in a few days, which proved to be the case.

     Lawrence was the guardian of the stewardship of the church.  The emperor called him in and demanded that the treasures of the Roman Church be handed over.  Lawrence assured him that he would show him riches exceeding all the wealth of the empire in three days time.
When he returned to the emperor, he brought the poor, the infirm, and the religious who lived on the alms of the faithful.  He told the emperor that these are the treasures of the Church.

     For this "lesson", Lawrence was raised to the honor of the Saints through his martyrdom.  He joined Pope Sixtus in dying for the Faith.  He did so by being roasted alive on a gridiron or grill.  It is reported that he even joked with his executioners that he was done on the one side and that they could turn him over.  We too must always remember that the true wealth of the Church lies not with her holdings or artwork or history, but with all of those, from least to greatest, who share the love of the Father and are formed in the image of Christ, and that Christ had a special love of the poor and outcast.

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     Today is the patronal feast of our Diocesan Bishop, Lawrence Brandt.  He has, on his coat of arms, a representation of that "gridiron" of Saint Lawrence (even though it looks more like a spatula).  Say a prayer for Bishop Brandt today, that he be a good steward of God's Church.