Have you ever had to defend the Catholic faith to friends or neighbors?
Do you have a strong Marian devotion?
Then turn to St. Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619) for his intercession - you have a lot in common.
Living and working in the time of the Protestant Reformation, St. Lawrence was called upon to refute the attacks of the Reformers and their followers upon the Catholic faith. He gave many great sermons on Mary, collected in his Mariale, and was renowned for his knowledge of Scripture. His apostolic zeal, skillful diplomacy, and tremendous success in preaching led to many conversions, brought peace between realms, and helped serve the good of the Church and humanity.
In this age of turmoil, when so many people are being drawn away from the faith by the allures of the world, the flesh, and the devil, we need to have that same zeal for sharing our faith, that same dedication to bringing peace through forgiveness and reconciliation, that same ardent love for the good of the Church and our brothers and sisters in humanity. We need to be constant in prayer and always seeking to renew our works of mercy, turning to resources such as Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC's 'You Did it to Me' for ideas and assistance on putting our faith into practice.
The Church celebrates the feast of St. Lawrence of Brindisi on July 21. Let us ask St. Lawrence to pray for us that we may be evangelists in all circumstances, sharing the faith through our joy in Christ Jesus and bearing fruit that will last. Let us ask St. Lawrence's intercession that we may love the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Word of God in the Sacred Scriptures as he did, and thus glorify God by our witness to two of the greatest gifts He has given us.
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