Brother Lawrence
Brother Lawrence
Brother Lawrence of the Resurrectionserved as a lay brother in a Carmelite monastery in Paris. Christians commonly remember him for the intimacy he expressed concerning his relationship to God as recorded in a book compiled after his death, the classic Christian text, The Practice of the Presence of God...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionClergyman
CountryFrance
mean simple men
Men invent means and methods of coming at God''s love, they learn rules and set up devices to remind them of that love, and it seems like a world of trouble to bring oneself into the consciousness of God''s presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do our common business wholly for the love of him?
spiritual mean practice
The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God. That means finding constant pleasure in His divine company, speaking humbly and lovingly with him in all seasons, at every moment, without limiting the conversation in any way.
prayer thinking presence-of-mind
One way to recollect the mind easily in the time of prayer, and preserve it more in tranquillity, is not to let it wander too far at other times. You should keep it strictly in the presence of God; and being accustomed to think of Him often, you will find it easy to keep your mind calm in the time of prayer, or at least to recall it from its wanderings.
god-love enough straws
It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God.
god greatness matter
It is not the greatness of the work which matters to God but the love with which it is done.
wind sea soul
If the vessel of our soul is still tossed with winds and storms, let us awake the Lord, who reposes in it, and He will quickly calm the sea.
neighbor loving-god
Loving God and loving one's neighbor are really the same thing.
prayer gods-presence
Prayer is nothing else than a sense of God's presence
world ifs
I began to live as if there were no one save God and me in the world.
flower winter views
That in the winter, seeing a tree stripped of its leaves, and considering that within a little time, the leaves would be renewed, and after that the flowers and fruit appear, he received a high view of the Providence and Power of GOD, which has never since been effaced from his soul. That this view had perfectly set him loose from the world, and kindled in him such a love for GOD, that he could not tell whether it had increased in above forty years that he had lived since.
knowing offering giving
That we need only to recognize GOD intimately present with us, to address ourselves to Him every moment, that we may beg His assistance for knowing His will in things doubtful, and for rightly performing those which we plainly see He requires of us, offering them to Him before we do them, and giving Him thanks when we have done.
trust-in-god surrender deceiving
That we ought, once for all, heartily to put our whole trust in GOD, and make a total surrender of ourselves to Him, secure that He would not deceive us.
art sake determined
That there needed neither art nor science for going to GOD, but only a heart resolutely determined to apply itself to nothing but Him, or for His sake, and to love Him only.
perfect worship eternity
The end we ought to propose to ourselves is to become, in this life, the most perfect worshipers of God we can possibly be, as we hope to be through all eternity.