Practice of the Presence of God

Yesterday in our meditative prayer session we were told about Brother Lawrence, one of the most prominent Carmelite saints. With this, we were told to pray like him.

Brother Lawrence is one of the most admired and imitated sons of the Catholic Church. He worked for a time as a soldier before entering the Discalced Carmelite Prior in Paris. Lawrence was uneducated, and so had to enter the monastery as a layman. He worked in the kitchens and as a cobbler there for the remainder of his life. Lawrence is known for his devotion and ability to bring God into every aspect of his life. His classic Christian work, PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD, details how to gain that constant and comforting connection to God. Readers have treasured this short and easy book for centuries because of Lawrence’s honest advice and his obvious passion for spiritual matters. He rejoiced in everyday tasks, prayed constantly, and was known around the monastery for his kindness and willingness to help others.

PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD is a creative Christian work that is required reading according to many believers. Readers will come away with great peace and joy, and a better understanding of what it means to constantly be in God’s presence.

If I am not mistaken, there are Five Conversations by Brother Lawrence. Here are the excerpts from the Fourth Conversation: “Brother Lawrence spoke with great openness of heart concerning his manner of going to God whereof some part is related already. He told me that all consists in one hearty renunciation of everything which we are sensible does not lead to God. We might accustom ourselves to a continual conversation with Him with freedom and in simplicity. We need only to recognize God intimately present with us and address ourselves to Him every moment. We need to 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 completed them.

In our conversation with God we should also engage in praising, adoring, and loving Him incessantly for His infinite goodness and perfection. Without being discouraged on account of our sins, we should pray for His grace with a perfect confidence, as relying upon the infinite merits of our Lord. Brother Lawrence said that God”. Like him, I want to discover the greatest secret of living in the Kingdom of God here on earth.


PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD is one of the most beautiful and touching stories of Christian devotion ever written. It says that we must merely open our hearts to receive Him and His loving presence.