Frère Laurent de la Résurrection
1614-1691 17th century
“Come to me, all you who are weary.” The rest he promises is not the end of work, but a presence within it. Brother Lawrence found it among the pots of his monastery kitchen: doing the smallest task for the love of God, and never doing it alone. The tiredness remains; the weight is shared.
Who was Frère Laurent de la Résurrection?
Born Nicolas Herman, in Lorraine. Soldier in the Thirty Years' War, wounded, he entered the Paris Carmel as a lay brother at 40. He stayed there 30 years, mainly assigned to the kitchen and sandal repair. His spiritual life (simple, without ecstasies or visions) centered on the presence of God in the humblest tasks. His Maxims and Letters, gathered after his death, became a worldwide classic.
In their own words
I turn my omelet in the pan for the love of God.