July 21 -- Feast of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi

In "Particle Man" by They Might Be Giants, we learned that Triangle Man hates Particle Man, and when they have a fight, Triangle wins. Saint Lawrence of Brindisi was a triangle man; I don't know if he actually hated Turkish Man, but they had a fight and Lawrence won.

One side of this trilateral saint is military and diplomatic service. This is probably the most famous thing about him. He was tapped by the Holy Roman Emperor (HRE) to rally the German princes against The Turk, who was at that time (AD 1600) threatening to invade Hungary. Lawrence was chaplain to the army, and in 1601, he led troops into battle at Szekes-Fehervar. Although out-numbered, the Germans won. Lawrence bore no weapon, preferring instead to carry a cross into the battle. He continued to serve as a diplomatic leader on behalf of both the Pope and the HRE until his death in the Iberian summer heat, negotiating with the Spanish king about the future of Naples.

A second side of the man was the scholarship that got him proclaimed a Doctor of the Church. He was a skilled administrator of the Capuchin Friars, being elected (and re-elected) Definitor General, Commisary General, and Minister General. But we all know able administrators who are not exceptional scholars (and vice versa). Lawrence was the author of eight hundred four sermons (apparently of high quality), some replies to the Lutherans, a commentary on Genesis, numerous letters, an autobiographical account of his service in Austria and Germany, and most importantly, a treatise on the significance of Mary in Christian worship.

But Triangle Man has three sides, and it was the third side that actually got him popularly acclaimed a saint immediately after his death, one hundred fifty years (or so) before his canonization. He was so profoundly spiritual, so endowed with the "gift of tears," (it's funny -- I never really thought of my tears as a gift on the elementary school playground), that it used to take him three hours to celebrate Mass. The hanky he used at the altar was claimed as a holy relic because it was so imbued with the tears shed in contemplation of the suffering of Christ.

Triangle wins.