The Practice of the Presence of GodLawrence, of the Resurrection, Brother
Religion
The Practice of the Presence of God
Lawrence, of the Resurrection, Brother
Christian life -- Catholic authors; Spiritual life -- Catholic Church
Be satisfied with the condition in which God places you. However happy
you may think me, I envy you. Pain and suffering would be a paradise to
me, if I could suffer with my God. The greatest pleasures would be hell
if I relished them without Him. My only consolation would be to suffer
something for His sake.
I must, in a little time, go to God. What comforts me in this life is
that I now see Him by faith. I see Him in such a manner that I sometimes
say, I believe no more, but I see. I feel what faith teaches us, and,
in that assurance and that practice of faith, I live and die with Him.
Stay with God always for He is the only support and comfort for your
affliction. I shall beseech Him to be with you. I present my service.
Twelfth Letter: If we were well accustomed to the practice of the presence
of God, bodily discomforts would be greatly alleviated. God often permits
us to suffer a little to purify our souls and oblige us to stay close
to Him.
Take courage. Offer Him your pain and pray to Him for strength to endure
them. Above all, get in the habit of often thinking of God, and forget
Him the least you can. Adore Him in your infirmities. Offer yourself to
Him from time to time. And, in the height of your sufferings, humbly and
affectionately beseech Him (as a child his father) to make you conformable
to His holy will. I shall endeavor to assist you with my poor prayers.
God has many ways of drawing us to Himself. He sometimes seems to hide
Himself from us. But faith alone ought to be our support. Faith is
the foundation of our confidence. We must put all our faith in God. He
will not fail us in time of need. I do not know how God will dispose
of me but I am always happy. All the world suffers and I, who deserve
the severest discipline, feel joys so continual and great that I can
scarcely contain them.
I would willingly ask God for a part of your sufferings. I know my
weakness is so great that if He left me one moment to myself, I would be
the most wretched man alive. And yet, I do not know how He could leave
me alone because faith gives me as strong a conviction as reason. He
never forsakes us until we have first forsaken Him. Let us fear to leave
Him. Let us always be with Him. Let us live and die in His presence. Do
pray for me, as I pray for you.
Thirteenth Letter: I am sorry to see you suffer so long. What gives me
some ease and sweetens the feeling I have about your griefs, is that they
are proof of God's love for you. See your pains in that view and you will
bear them more easily. In your case, it is my opinion that, at this point,
you should discontinue human remedies and resign yourself entirely to the
providence of God. Perhaps He waits only for that resignation and perfect
faith in Him to cure you. Since, in spite of all the care you have taken,
treatment has proved unsuccessful and your malady still increases, wait
no longer. Put yourself entirely in His hands and expect all from Him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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