Laurentius of the Resurrection (1614–1691)
Let us both recall, you and I, our initial zeal. Let us take as an example and learn from the experiences of this religious brother, who is unknown to the world but known to God, and who is greatly cherished by Him.
My venerable mother! (1)
I have made use of the services of N..., to share with you the experiences of one of our religious brothers (2) regarding the marvelous effects and constant help he receives through (life in) God’s presence; may we both benefit from them.
You know, for forty years he has spent in the order, his greatest desire is to always be with God, to do nothing, say nothing, think of nothing that might displease Him. And to do this for no other reason than pure love for Him, for He deserves so much more.
Now he has become so accustomed to living in God’s presence that he experiences its help in every possible situation. For about thirty years, his soul has been enjoying constant and sometimes so great inner joys that – to calm them and prevent them from being apparent to those around him – he is forced to act in various silly ways (3) that seem rather foolish than pious...
Now you can imagine, venerable mother, how satisfied and happy he is. Because he constantly feels such a great treasure within him, he no longer has to worry about finding it, and he does not have to exhaust himself in searching: this treasure lies before him exposed, and it is left to him to take from it what he wishes.
He often laments our blindness and keeps repeating that he is very sorry we settle for so little. “God,” he says, “has prepared infinite treasures for us; and we are satisfied with a trivial feeling of piety that fades away in an instant... How blind we are, for by this we bind God’s hands and close ourselves off from the fullness of His graces. It’s like a stream that a person has dammed and which then overflows mightily and abundantly when it is allowed to flow freely.”
Yes, we often dam this stream because we value it too little. Let us not hold it back any longer, my dear mother, let us turn inward, break this dam, assist grace in spilling forth, let us make up for lost time; perhaps we do not have much time left in this life, death is on our heels, let us be careful: a person only dies once!
So once again! Let us turn inward, time is pressing, and it will never return, each is responsible for themselves. You have prepared yourself, so you cannot be surprised: For this, I must commend you, for that is our task! We must work at it continually, for in spiritual life, those who do not move forward fall back. But those who have caught the breath of the Holy Spirit sail forward even in sleep. And when the little boat of our soul is threatened by wind and storm, let us awaken the Lord who rests within it, and He will soon calm this sea...
Let us both recall, you and I, our initial zeal. Let us take as an example and learn from the experiences of this religious brother, who is unknown to the world but known to God, and who is greatly cherished by Him. I will pray for you, pray earnestly for the one who is (with you) in our Lord.
Your...
Paris, June 1, 1682
(1) Letter to a religious sister whose name is unknown.
(2) Laurentius speaks about himself.
(3) Literally: childishness.
Taken from the book: Bruder Lorenz von der Auferstehung, Gesammelte Werke
Published by: Sr. Ancilla Karl OCD and P. Antonio Sagardoy OCD
Publisher: CERF Paris, 1991
Translated by: Norbert Žuška, OCarm.
