[Rank]
St. Lawrence, Martyr;;Duplex II classis cum octava simplici;;5.1;;ex C2

[Rank] (rubrica 196)
St. Lawrence, Martyr;;Duplex II classis;;5;;ex C2

[Ant Vespera]
Lawrence * went in to be a martyr, and acknowledged the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lawrence wrought a good work, * in that with the sign of the Cross he gave sight to the blind.
O my God, my soul cleaveth * fast after thee, for my flesh hath been burnt with fire for thy sake.
The Lord hath sent His Angel, * and hath delivered me out of the midst of the fire, so that I am not scorched.
The blessed Lawrence prayed * and said: I give thee thanks, O Lord, that Thou hast made me worthy to enter within thy gates.

[Ant 1]
Lawrence the Deacon * performed a pious act by giving sight to the blind through the Sign of the Cross, and by bestowing on the poor the riches of the Church.

[Oratio]
O Almighty God, Who didst give unto Blessed Lawrence power to be more than conqueror in his fiery torment, grant unto us, we beseech thee, the power to quench the flames of our sinful lusts.
$Per Dominum

[Octava 1]
!Commemoration of the Octave of St. Lawrence
Ant. When the blessed Lawrence was lying, stretched upon the bars, and burning, he said * to the iniquitous magistrate The cooking is done enough now, turn the meat and eat; for the property of the Church, which thou seekest, hath been garnered up in heaven by the hands of the poor.
_
V. The Levite Lawrence wrought a good work.
R. In that with the sign of the Cross he gave sight to the blind.
_
$Oremus
O Almighty God, Who didst give unto Blessed Lawrence power to be more than conqueror in his fiery torment, grant unto us, we beseech thee, the power to quench the flames of our sinful lusts. 
$Per Dominum

[Invit]
Christ's blessed Martyr Lawrence is crowned and triumphing in heaven. * O come, let us worship the Lord!

[Ant Matutinum]
Father, whither goest thou * without thy son? Holy Priest, dost thou fare hence without a Deacon?;;1
Leave me not, holy father, * for I have spent already thy treasures, which thou gavest unto me.;;2
I leave thee not, my son, neither forsake thee; * there awaiteth thee for Christ's truth a sterner wrestling than mine.;;3
V. Thou hast crowned him with glory and honour, O Lord.
R. And madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands.
The blessed Lawrence prayed * and said: O Lord Jesus Christ, God of God, take pity upon me thy servant.;;4
Romanus said * to Blessed Lawrence: I see in front of thee a very well-favoured young man; make haste to baptize me.;;5
The blessed Lawrence said: The darkness is no darkness to me, * but the night is all as clear as morning, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.;;8
V. O Lord, Thou hast set a crown of precious stones.
R. Upon his head.
They laid him upon the grating, and stretched out his limbs; * Christ's Levite held in derision them that brought the live coals.;;14
Thou hast tried me with fire, * and found no wickedness in me.;;16
When I was asked, I acknowledged thee to be the Lord; now that I am roasted, I give thee thanks.;;20
V. His glory is great in thy salvation.
R. Honour and great majesty shalt Thou lay upon him.

[Responsory1]
R. The Levite Lawrence wrought a good work, in that with the sign of the Cross he gave sight to the blind,
* And dispersed among the needy the riches of the Church.
V. He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor his righteousness endureth forever.
R. And dispersed among the needy the riches of the Church.

[Lectio2]
!Sir 51:8-13
8 My soul shall praise the Lord even to death.
9 And my life was drawing near to hell beneath.
10 They compassed me on every side, and there was no one that would help me. I looked for the succour of men, and there was none.
11 I remembered thy mercy, O Lord, and thy works, which are from the beginning of the world.
12 How thou deliverest them that wait for thee, O Lord, and savest them out of the hands of the nations.
13 Thou hast exalted my dwelling place upon the earth and I have prayed for death to pass away.

[Responsory2]
R. O my child, be not afraid, for I am with thee, saith the Lord.
* When thou passest through the fire, the flame shall not harm thee, neither shall the smell of fire pass upon thee.
V. And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.
R. When thou passest through the fire the flame shall not harm thee, neither shall the smell of fire pass upon thee.

[Lectio3]
!Sir 51:14-17
14 I called upon the Lord, the father of my Lord, that he would not leave me in the day of my trouble, and in the time of the proud without help.
15 I will praise thy name continually, and will praise it with thanksgiving, and my prayer was heard.
16 And thou hast saved me from destruction, and hast delivered me from the evil time.
17 Therefore I will give thanks, and praise thee, and bless the name of the Lord.

[Responsory3]
R. They laid him upon the grating, and stretched out his limbs. Christ's Levite held in derision them that brought the live coals.
* O Lawrence, blessed witness for Christ, plead for us!
V. The darkness is no darkness to me, but the night is all as clear as the morning, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
R. O Lawrence, blessed witness for Christ, plead for us!
&Gloria
R. O Lawrence, blessed witness for Christ, plead for us!

[Lectio4]
The Lesson is taken From the Sermons of Pope St. Leo (the Great.)
!For St. Lawrence's Birthday
Then the fury of the heathen power was raging against Christ's choicest members, in aiming in especial at such as were of the Priestly Order, the wicked persecutor turned fiercely on the Levite Lawrence, who was remarkable, not only as a minister of the Sacraments, but also as distributor of the property of the Church, promising himself a double prey by the taking of this one man, namely, to make him betray the consecrated treasure, and apostatise from the true faith. The wretch was thus doubly fired by his greed for money and his hatred of the truth, his greed urging him to seize the gold, and his wickedness to rob a believer of Christ. He demanded of the upright keeper of the sacred treasury, to bring him the wealth of the Church, for which his rapacity longed. But the pureminded Levite showed him where these riches were stored, by bringing before him a great multitude of holy poor, by the feeding and clothing of whom he had laid up all. that he had, in such wise, that it could be lost no more, and was now all the safer, as the way of spending it had been the holier.

[Responsory4]
R. Father, whither goest thou without thy son? Holy Priest, dost thou fare hence without a Deacon?
* It hath never been thy use to offer sacrifice without a minister.
V. What therefore in me hath displeased thee, my Father? Hast thou tried me and found me unworthy to be called thy son? Make trial if I am indeed a useless servant, even I, whom thou didst choose, to commit unto me the administration of the Cup of the Blood of the Lord.
R. It hath never been thy use to offer sacrifice without a minister.

[Lectio5]
The baffled thief chafed, and his hatred for the godliness which had appointed such an use of riches, flaming forth, he attempted the robbery of a dearer treasure from him in whose hands he had found no coin, even to take from him that possession wherein he had holier wealth. He commanded Lawrence to deny Christ, and made ready to assail the immovable firmness of the Levite's soul with appalling tortures, of which the failure of the first was followed by the application of others more fearful still. When his limbs had been mangled and cut by many stripes, his tormentor ordered them to be roasted over a fire. He was laid on an iron grating, the bars of which by the continual fire below, became themselves burning hot, so that by turning and rearranging his limbs upon them, his agony was kept keener, and his suffering made to last longer.

[Responsory5]
R. Leave me not, holy Father, for I have spent already thy treasures.
* I leave thee not, my son, neither forsake thee but there awaiteth thee for Christ's truth a wrestling sterner than mine.
V. We, as old men, have an easier race to run; for thee in thy youth, there is kept a more glorious victory over the enemy; yet three days, and thou shalt follow me, the Deacon behind the Priest.
R. I leave thee not, my son, neither forsake thee but there awaiteth thee for Christ's truth a wrestling sterner than mine.

[Lectio6]
Cruel savage! thou gainest nothing, and advancest nothing. That which can die passeth by degrees beyond the reach of thy tortures, and when Lawrence departeth to heaven, thou and thy fires are conquered. The love of Christ could not be overcome by the flames, and the glow that scorched the outward man was colder than that that burnt in the inner. Thou didst rage, O thou persecutor thou didst rage against the Martyr, but by making keener his agony, thou hast but made nobler his palm. What did thine imagination fail to discover that could minister to the glory of him who conquered thee, since even the means of his execution have turned to the honour of his triumph? Wherefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us rejoice with spiritual joy, and make our boast in the Lord, Who is wonderful in His Saints, (Ps. lxvii. 36,) and hath given unto us, in them an help and an example. Let us, I say, make our boast of the extraordinary happiness of the illustrious Lawrence's end, in that same Lord Who hath so glorified the name of His servant throughout the whole world, that from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof, wheresoever the constellation of the Levitical lights shineth, even as Jerusalem is made glorious by Stephen, so Rome is made famous by Lawrence.

[Responsory6]
R. The blessed Lawrence cried and said: My God do I worship, and Him only do I serve
* And therefore I am not afraid of thy tortures.
V. The darkness is no darkness to me, but the night is all as clear as the morning, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
R. And therefore I am not afraid of thy tortures.
&Gloria
R. And therefore I am not afraid of thy tortures.

[Lectio7]
From the Holy Gospel according to John
!John 12:24-26
At that time, Jesus said unto His disciples: Amen, Amen, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. And so on.
_
Homily by St. Augustine, Bishop (of Hippo.)
!From Tract 51 on John
The Lord Jesus was Himself a corn of wheat that was to die and bring forth much fruit to die by the unbelief of the Jews, and to bring forth much fruit in the faith of the Gentiles. He, exhorting men to follow His steps, saith: He that loveth his life shall lose it. Now, these words may be understood in two ways. First he that loveth his life shall lose it, that is, If thou love life, thou wilt lose it; if thou wilt live for ever in Christ, refuse not to die for Christ. Or secondly, he that loveth his life shall lose it; love not then that which thou shalt lose; love not this present life, so that thou be thereby in jeopardy of losing life eternal.

[Responsory7]
R. Upon the bars I denied thee not, O God.
* And when they put me to the fire, I acknowledged thee to be the Lord, O Jesus Christ.
V. Lord, Thou hast proved mine heart and visited it by night.
R. And when they put me to the fire, I acknowledged thee to be the Lord, O Jesus Christ.

[Lectio8]
What this second interpretation is the meaning of the Gospel, appeareth most probable from the words which follow: And he that hateth his life in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal. From which we may suppose the sense of the first words to be: He that loveth his life in this world shall lose it unto life eternal. This is a great and marvellous saying, showing how a man may so love life as to lose life, and so hate life as to keep life. If thou love it too well, then dost thou hate it; if thou hate it with an holy hatred, then dost thou love it. Blessed are they that, lest they should so love it as to lose it, so hate it as to keep it.

[Responsory8]
R. O Hippolytus, if thou believest in the Lord Jesus Christ,
* I lay before thee treasure an hundredfold, and promise thee life everlasting. 
V. The blessed Lawrence said unto Hippolytus: If thou believest in the Lord Jesus Christ.
R. I lay before thee treasure an hundred-fold, and promise thee life everlasting.
&Gloria
R. I lay before thee treasure an hundred-fold, and promise thee life everlasting.

[Lectio9]
Beware, lest thou take these words: He that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal as some do, for an approval of suicide. Some evil and perverse men, bloody and guilty murderers of themselves, do indeed throw themselves into the fire, drown themselves in water, and cast themselves down precipices, and so perish. This is not the teaching of Christ, Who, when the devil would have Him cast Himself down from an high place, answered: Get thee behind Me, Satan. It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (Matth. iv. 5-7.) Who also said to Peter, signifying by what death he should glorify God: When thou wast young thou girdedst thyself and walkedst whither thou wouldest; but when thou shalt be old, another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. (John xxi. 18.) From which it is evident that he that would follow Christ's footsteps, must be slain, not by himself, but by another.
&teDeum

[Capitulum Laudes]
!2 Cor 9:6
v. Brethren: He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
$Deo gratias

[Versum 2]
V. He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor.
R. His righteousness endureth for ever.

[Ant 2]
Upon the bars I denied thee not, O God. * And when they put me to the fire, I acknowledged thee to be the Lord, O Christ. Thou has proved mine heart, and visited it by night; Thou hast tried me with fire, and found no wickedness in me.

[Octava 2]
!Commemoration of the Octave of St. Lawrence
Ant. Upon the bars I denied thee not, O God. * And when they put me to the fire, I acknowledged thee to be the Lord, O Christ. Thou has proved mine heart, and visited it by night Thou hast tried me with fire, and found no wickedness in me.
_
V. He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor.
R. His righteousness endureth forever. 
_
$Oremus
O Almighty God, Who didst give unto Blessed Lawrence power to be more than conqueror in his fiery torment, grant unto us, we beseech thee, the power to quench the flames of our sinful lusts. 
$Per Dominum

[Lectio Prima]
!2 Cor 9:8-9
v. And God is able to make all grace abound in you; that ye always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work, As it is written: He hath dispersed abroad, he hath given to the poor: his justice remaineth for ever.

[Capitulum Sexta]
!2 Cor 9:7
v. Every one as he hath determined in his heart, not with sadness, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
$Deo gratias

[Versum 3]
V. The Levite Lawrence wrought a good work.
R. In that with the sign of the Cross he gave sight to the blind.

[Ant 3]
When the blessed Lawrence was lying, stretched upon the bars, and burning, he said * to the iniquitous magistrate: The cooking is done enough now, turn the meat and eat; for the property of the Church, which thou seekest, hath been garnered up in heaven by the hands of the poor.

[Commemoratio 3] (rubrica 1570 aut rubrica 1910)
!Commemoratio for the Holy Martyrs Tiburtius and Susanna
Ant. For theirs is the Kingdom of heaven who love not their lives in this world, and have attained unto the reward of the Kingdom, and have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.
_
V. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye just.
R. And glory, all ye right of heart.
_
$Oremus
Lord, let the constant succour of Thine holy Martyrs Tiburtius and Susanna continually defend us, for Thou never failest to look in mercy upon all them unto whom Thou dost grant the aid of such helpers.
$Per Dominum