Letter 5015: Prayer offered to God in earnest is never stripped of the outcome it hopes for.

Ennodius to Senarius. Never is a prayer poured out before God stripped of its vowed effect, before whom cheerfulness is obtained by tears and grief passes over into gladness. The help of the Godhead was present to my longings, and, with mercy as its guide, it has called you back to me from the far-flung borders of foreign nations, you who are the greater portion of my soul. Truly I cannot pour out my letter into many words, hindered as I am by weeping, which the joys, heaped up to overflowing, have brought forth. See to it, my lord, that the fullness of this heavenly gift does not perish for my littleness. Let us both have one single dwelling-place, and let no anxiety be bred from the narrowness of walls, since one heart provides a sufficient lodging for our souls.

XV. ENNODIVS SENARIO. Numquam apud deum fusa deprecatio uotiuo nudatur effectu, apud quem hilaritas lacrimis obtinetur et maeror transit in 1 presulem B 2 oxsistetis B XIIII. 7 prestnlantur B 9 instruentem L 10 dedicertint BV 11 quanquam LV poritiae B 12 degeneri|re ̃ te B 13 cominisse L 14 naleant B 15 redhibere BT1, redibere LP T1V, reddere b segitem B1 16 auertit L\', aduertat T 17 feconditatis T\' plantam L cualuit L \' 18 pulsione L 19 p ̃ ∗∗iudicio ex preiuditio L m. ant . 20 salutationem Ll 21 poroperes L 22 accedant L\', adcedunt B XV. 26 dum L\' uotiua B 27 optinetur V meror BLTV laetitiam. adfuit diuinitatis auxilium desideriis meis et te, animae meae maior portio, de prolixis gentium finibus misericordia duce reuocauit. uere non possum epistulam in multa uerba diffundere inpeditus fletibus, quos gaudia in cumulum adducta pepererunt. fac, mi domine, paruitati meae caelestis doni plenitudinem non perire. unum uterque habeamus hospitium nec de parietum angustia sollicitudo generetur, quando unum pectus sufficiens animabus nostris praestat habitaculum.