LORENZO della RESURREZIONE. — Mystic, Discalced Carmelite, born Nicola Herman, at Hieréméil (Lorraine) in 1614, died in Paris in 1691. A lay brother in the Carmel of Paris from 1640, he spent the rest of his life in the humblest domestic duties.
His doctrine is nothing other than the revelation of his mystical experience. This is set forth in three very brief collections: *Massime spirituali*, *Traitementi*, *Lettere*. A characteristic of the teaching of Fra L. is its extreme simplicity. He reduces everything to the continual loving presence of God and the avoidance of every disturbance. Yet he is not at all opposed to ascetical exercises; on the contrary, he places as the foundation of all a great purity of heart and a total emptiness of creatures. His complete abandonment in God led him to somewhat hyperbolic expressions, e.g., when he said that he would have wished to hide his good actions from God, in order to serve Him without reward. Because of these characteristics, Fra L. was highly esteemed even in circles inclined toward Quietism (Fénelon) and among Protestants.
Editions: The three aforementioned collections were published in two installments by the Abbé de Beaufort in 1692 and 1694, with two eulogies that form a necessary complement. In 1699 and 1710 they were included in collections of Quietist tendency. From then on, numerous editions appeared in English, which still enjoy wide diffusion among Protestants. L. Van de Bossche prepared an edition of the French text (Bruges 1934) that served to rehabilitate Lorenzo della R. among Catholics. This was followed by a new edition (Paris 1947), edited by S. M. Boucheraux, with a preface by Francesco de S. Maria.