St. Lawrence of Brindis

Today is the feast of one of our favorite Doctors of the Church, St. Lawrence of Brindisi.  The Church refers to him as the Apostolic Doctor.  He lived in turbulent times but he put his immense gifts of learning at the service of Christ and His Church and he gained much fruit.  The Protestants were convinced by his depth of knowledge of Sacred Scripture and the Church Fathers; the Jews were impressed to see his knowledge of the Bible in its original languages and of their own rabbinic traditions.  His preaching and teaching were grounded in a profound life of prayer.  Even the worldly and powerful sought him out for advice.