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
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.
art grace mind
O my God, since thou art with me, and i must now, in obedience to thy commands, apply my mind to these outward things, i beseech thee to grant me the grace to continue in thy presence; and to this end do thou prosper me with thy assistance, receive all my works, and possess all my affections." (Bro. Lawrence implored His grace and offered to Him all his actions).
mind trouble tranquility
We must do our business faithfully, without trouble or disquiet, recalling our mind to God mildly, and with tranquility, as often as we find it wandering from him.
soul secret mind
I drove away from my mind everything capable of spoiling the sense of the presence of God.... I just make it my business to persevere in His holy presence... My soul has had an habitual, silent, secret conversation with God.
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.
religious practice soul
I cannot imagine how religious persons can live satisfied without the practice of the presence of GOD. For my part I keep myself retired with Him in the depth of centre of my soul as much as I can; and while I am so with Him I fear nothing; but the least turning from Him is insupportable.
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
meals saint lord
Lord of all pots and pans and things make me a saint by getting meals and washing up the plates!
prayer mean simple
I have quitted all forms of devotion and set prayers but those to which my state obliges me. And I make it my business only to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I keep myself by a simple attention, and a general fond regard to GOD, which I may call an actual presence of GOD, or, to speak better, an habitual, silent, and secret conversation of the soul with GOD, which often causes me joys and raptures inwardly, and sometimes also outwardly, so great that I am forced to use means to moderate them, and prevent their appearance to others.
perfection soul grace
The greater perfection a soul aspires after, the more dependent it is upon Divine Grace.
world ifs
I began to live as if there were no one save God and me in the world.