Quote of the day, 6 February: Brother Lawrence

God indeed knows what we need, and everything he does is for our good. If we knew how much he loves us, we would readily accept the bitter with the sweet, and even the most painful and difficult things would be pleasant and agreeable. The most painful sufferings do not ordinarily seem unbearable unless we look at them from the wrong perspective.

Furthermore, when we are convinced that it is the hand of God at work in us—that he is a Father full of love who allows us to endure humiliation, pain, and suffering—all the bitterness is taken away, and only the sweetness remains.

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, O.C.D.

Letter 16 to a nun (excerpt)
6 February 1691

Lawrence of the Resurrection, B; De Meester, C 1994, Writings and Conversations on the Practice of the Presence of God,  translated from the French by Salvatore Sciurba, OCD, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Love stamp design by Robert Indiana for the United States Postal Service, released 26 January 1973. Image credit: Smithsonian National Postal Museum (public domain)