- In the forward, Tessa Bielecki is going to introduce Lawrence's life and context. As you read, intentionally note at least three specific aspects of Lawrence's life/character/habits that most intrigue or attract you and that you hope you will learn more about as you read the primary text itself. Why do they attract you?
One aspect of Brother Lawrence's life that I found to be particularly intriguing was his story of having a change of mind and heart because of a tree. This was intriguing to me because I can somewhat relate as I often have a heart for nature, so this was something that hit close to home. Another aspect of his life I liked was how he is portrayed as being awkward and clumsy. This made him feel more human to me in a sense because a lot of times spiritual people and leaders can seem kind of mystical, but this makes Lawrence seem more like someone like me. And finally, an aspect I found attractive about Lawrence's life was his trait of knowing his sin, but not being discouraged by them. This takes a lot of spiritual maturity which shows how credible he is as a source.
One aspect of Lawrence's life I found unattractive was his saying not to use human remedies, but rely on God alone. This seems a little overboard to me, because I think that our medicines have been given to us as a resource, and not using them when you are going through pain is like going through pain unnecessarily. Another aspect I found unattractive was that he "marveled at nothing, nothing astonished him, or gave him cause for fear." I'm personally hesitant to go along with this because I think that it is good for us to be astonished, and to marvel, and even to fear as it is natural for us to do all of those things. And finally, one aspect I found distasteful was when he said, "a great delusion is to think that the times of prayer ought to differ from other times." While I do agree with his philosophy that as Christians we live prayer, I think that we should still have unique time to spend with God that is intentional and not the same as the rest of our everyday lives.
The Teresian Spirit is talking mainly about the similarities between Brother Lawrence and Mother Teresa. The author outlines many of these similarities saying, "Both these saints describe prayer as conversation or intercourse with God, and call him friend." They go on to outline even more similarities saying, "'May God deliver us from foolish devotions' wrote mother Teresa. Lawrence spoke similarly of 'trivial devotions.'" She also shows how they both relate to the infinite treasure of the soul, and how they both use their own imagery to describe it.
Thank you, Jonny, for solid interaction with the forward and with Bro. Lawrence as a person. Also, one note: it is not Mother Teresa but Teresa of Avila :) Different Teresa.
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