Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (c. 1614 – 12 February 1691) served as a lay brother in a Carmelite monastery in Paris. He was born Nicolas Herman in the region of Lorraine, located in modern day eastern France. His parents were peasants and he worked in the army first serving as a soldier and then as a footman. His poverty forced him into joining the Carmelite Order. He entered the Carmelite Order in Paris as a lay brother at the age of 55 and spent the rest of his life working in the kitchen.
Brother Lawrence continually practiced the presence of God while working with the pots and pans in his monastery's kitchen believing that in whatever you do, be quietly aware of God's presence with you and around you. He had learned that we can establish a sense of God's presence by continually speaking with Him. Amidst the simplest of everyday activities he was able to achieve a profound intimacy with God.
In the last four centuries untold millions of people have been drawn into a life of practicing God’s presence through Brother Lawrence’s warm-hearted letters of spiritual direction titled PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD. This little manual has become a big guide for all the Carmelites because of its simplest and most effective prayers. The PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD is a collection of letters and transcriptions of conversations, compiled by a disciple of Brother Lawrence.
The PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD records his last words of advice to his friends and disciples, as he suffered from an unnamed illness which would eventually take his life.
Brother Lawrence's teaching has resonated with not only the Carmelites but Christians all over. He has gained an international reputation as a mystic and spiritual counsellor.
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