The Cross was Enough

St. Lawrence of Brindisi and what it actually means to trust God.

Giuseppe Grandi (1843–1894)

The year is 1601. A Capuchin friar marched to the front lines of battle with nothing but a Crucifix. He had no armor or weapons, only a piece of wood and the Triune God it represented.

The Christian defeated the Ottomans.

That is the story in a nutshell. Everything else was about one saint that decided the outcome was up to God.

St. Lawrence of Brindisi

This Capuchin friar’s name was Lawrence of Brindisi. While he wore a simple habit, he was no simple man and it would be wrong to say he was. St. Lawrence spoke at least eight languages and had knowledge of Scripture so profound many believed he had most of the Bible memorized. Eventually he would become a Doctor of the Church. St. Lawrence was an intellectual weapon and used the gifts God gave him in this battle, one of them being immense courage all because he knew a key part of the faith. That key was trust in God.

When his moment came, St. Lawrence did not flinch. He rose to the occasion and picked up a cross. That cross was his only instrument. St. Lawrence made a decision during the battle Stuhlweissenburg about what truly mattered in this world. That dog was in him. The fire of the Holy Spirit was in him right when it was needed. You can’t teach that.

What is Trust?

Many of us trust God in the same way we trust the weather man.

St. Lawrence led an army with a piece of wood.

But that is the difference isn’t it? The will to cooperate with God’s will. A man could know every known truth of God and still fail to move when the moment requires. That is the difference between knowledge and practice. There has to be a bridge. What is the point of all of this knowing without doing?

That little fire inside is what moves the will. Years of prayer and fasting and tedious work, seemingly all for nothing, until that one defining moment comes. That is what God is preparing us for and at that moment we understand. That battle is not what made St. Lawrence a man, it simply revealed to the Ottomans and the Christian army the man he already was.

St. Lawrence gives us a glimpse of this with one short phrase.

“The word of God is a light to the mind and a fire to the will.”

The light he speaks of is not only meant for the mind, it must flow through us as Catholic men of God. A man needs that fire. This fire is what takes that light and moves it to where when decisions must be made, they are executed. A man’s will must cooperate with God’s. Then, when the smoke is heavy and the cannons are blasting, you see through it all.

What the Painting Shows

Above is a painting of the battle. A Capuchin friar in a brown habit stands in the middle of the chaos with his arms raised and the crucifix held high. Cavalry on every side. Smoke is everywhere and men are down. A bloody battle at every turn.

St. Lawrence is in the center of the painting and the madness.

This is not to suggest that he was unafraid. He had simply already settled the question of where the outcome resided. The outcome was not in the numbers or the cavalry. It was God’s business. St. Lawrence’s business was to raise that crucifix and trust in the Lord.

What the Painting demands of You

The battle you are in is certainly not Stuhlweissenburg.

The battle is your marriage on a rough day. It is your work when finances go wrong. It is your faith during spiritual attacks. The battle is that cross you have had on your shoulders for years and you have grown tired of carrying it. Honestly, it may very well be a real battle while serving in the armed forces.

St. Lawrence is not asking you to be a studied Theologian (not to say this is not a commendable endeavor). He is simply asking whether or not you have decided where the outcome resides. A man who trusts in God with a backup plan is not a man of trust. He is a man of managed risk with a sprinkle of religion added. A man of managed risk will never walk to the front of battle.

One more angle to cover, one more continency plan and one more reason to wait until the conditions are just right.

The truth to this is that the conditions will not get better and the battle is at your doorstep. The cross is what you have.

Will you decide to pick it up? God is waiting for You to answer the call.

Be the Creed
Nick | Catholic Manhood