Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

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.

Brother Lawrence was a man of humble beginnings who discovered the greatest secret of living in the Kingdom of God here on earth—the art of “practicing the presence of God in one single act that does not end.” He often stated that it is God who paints Himself in the depths of our soul. We must merely open our hearts to receive Him and His loving presence, wherever we are, be it in a bustling kitchen or on our knees in prayer.

Compiled by Father Joseph de Beaufort and originally published in 1692 under the title, Spiritual Maxims, The Practice of the Presence of God is a classic in Christian literature.  This compilation includes 4 “Conversations with Brother Lawrence” and 15 “Letters from Brother Lawrence.”

The Practice of the Presence of God
The Best Rule of a Holy Life
Being Conversations and Letters of Brother Lawrence
• Author: Brother Lawrence (Nicholas Herman)
• Compiler: Father Joseph de Beaufort