Saint Laurence of Canterbury

But the King of the Angl es, Ethel Ethelbert King of the Angles converted by Augustine. bert, whom the preachings of Augustine had brought to the faith, havin g died, son fils Successor of Ethelbert, initially an apostate then converted by Laurence. his son and successor proved himself unworthy of his father. Not content with rejecting the faith of Christ, this prince, going further than the pagans themselves, had defiled himself with incest by marrying his stepmother, thus paving the way for his people to return to the most detestable customs. This first evil soon increased with another. The King of Seberect King of the East Saxons whose death led to an apostasy. the East Saxons, Sebert, died in his turn, and his kingdom was divided between his three sons, princes who had remained in infidelity, and who restored public worship to idols: a disastrous example that led the people everywhere to abjure and caused them to fall back into the false religion.

Mellitus Mellitus Bishop of the Saxons and companion of Laurence. , bishop of the Saxons, yielding to the storm, took refuge with Laurent, and the two prelates, having summon ed the Justus Bishop and companion of Laurence and Mellitus. ir colleague Justus to them, consulted together on the course of action they should adopt: all three decided that they would take the road back to their homeland, where they could more freely serve God, whereas by remaining any longer among barbarians rebellious to the faith, they would, they thought, only be wasting their time in useless rest. Justus and Mellitus departed first. Laurent, on the point of following them, spent the last nig ht he believed he would remain in église des apôtres Pierre et Paul Place where Lawrence spends his last night of prayer and receives his vision. England in the church of the apostles Peter and Paul. After many tears and prayers poured out before God for his church, overcome by sleep, he fell into a deep slumber.

But behold, while the archbishop was sleeping, the prince of the apostles, Peter, appeared to him, and scourging him most rigorously, asked him, by virtue of his apostolic authority, why he was thus abandoning the flock that had been entrusted to him, and to what shepherd he was leaving the care of his sheep, thus cast into the midst of wolves? Is this, he continued, how you remember the example I gave you, I who endured, for those that Christ had entrusted to me as a sign of his love, not only whips, dungeons, and tortures, but death itself, and the death of the cross. Stirred by these blows and reprimands, Lawrence went to find the king in the mo Laurent Archbishop of Canterbury and successor to Saint Augustine. rning, and, pulling aside his g le roi Successor of Ethelbert, initially an apostate then converted by Laurence. arment, showed him the marks of the blows; and as the prince asked him who had treated him so, he explained everything that had happened. The king was at first seized with deep astonishment, then, coming to himself, he abjured the worship of idols, repudiated his illegitimate wife, became a Christian, and propagated the faith with admirable zeal. He survived Lawrence, who ascended to the heavenly kingdom on the 2nd of February, in the year 619.

Benedictine Breviary Brésiaire bénédictin Liturgical source of the text. .

Benedictine Breviary.