'I’m well done on this side. Turn me over!'

"in 258, the Roman Emperor Valerian a member of a noble senatorial family, issued an edict demanding that all bishops, priests, and deacons be immediately executed....The prefect of Rome then demanded that Lawrence in his capacity as deacon turn over the riches of the Roman Church. Lawrence asked the Roman prefect for three days to gather the Church’s wealth. He then turned around and began quickly distributing ecclesial property to the needy.... when the prefect ordered Lawrence to deliver the treasures of the Church, Lawrence declared: 'Behold in these poor persons the treasures which I promised to show you; to which I will add pearls and precious stones, those widows and consecrated virgins, which are the Church’s crown.' The prefect didn’t find this amusing, and ordered Lawrence to be executed. Lawrence so elicited the ire of the prefect that the Roman official ordered that a great gridiron be prepared with hot coals beneath it, upon which Lawrence was roasted. Even amid this tremendous suffering, his flesh cooking over the heat of the fire, Lawrence reportedly announced, in a cheerful voice: 'I’m well done on this side. Turn me over!'....For the good humor with which Lawrence met his martyrdom, he is the patron saint of cooks, chefs, the poor, and comedians, among many other professions....We Catholics today are faced with so many threats, both from without and within, that even if we retain our hope, we often lose our humor....a sharp and well-formed wit can serve the Church quite well—especially when enduring the attacks of those who have no joy, and who’ve lost the ability to smile or laugh. St. Lawrence, ora pro nobis!" (Crisis, 8/9/2019)