Today in the book In Caelo et in Terra, we read about St Lawrence. He was a very clever a funny person, as is attested in several stories about him. He lived under pretty severe persecution, and one day the emperor demanded that he bring the riches of the church to the emperor. So St Lawrence rounded up all of the poor and sick and took them to the emperor and said, "Here they are - the treasures of the church."
This made the emperor really angry, so he ordered St Lawrence to be burned to death on a giant griddle. After St Lawrence had suffered being burned for a long time, he told the person torturing him, "Iam coctum est; quod superest, versate me et manducate!" which we typically translate as, "I'm done on this side, please turn me over." But it's actually funnier than that. The unedited version would read, "I'm fully cooked on this side, so turn me over and bite me!"
That's why he's the patron saint of comedians. It's good for us to retain a sense of humor in the midst of trials and pain. That's why it's important today, as we are suffering through the anguish and uncertainty of a pandemic and financial upheaval, to keep our wits and our humor about us. To be able to laugh and point out the silliness of things. To joke, even in the midst of being persecuted, like our great example today.
God, thanks for giving us this great example of keeping a sense of humor even in the darkest times. St Lawrence, pray for us.
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