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
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 never failed
offering us His grace at each action. It never failed except when Brother
Lawrence's thoughts had wandered from a sense of God's Presence, or he
forgot to ask His assistance. He said that God always gave us light in
our doubts, when we had no other design but to please Him.
Our sanctification did not depend upon changing our works. Instead,
it depended on doing that for God's sake which we commonly do for our
own. He thought it was lamentable to see how many people mistook the means
for the end, addicting themselves to certain works which they performed
very imperfectly by reason of their human or selfish regards. The most
excellent method he had found for going to God was that of doing our
common business without any view of pleasing men but purely for the love
of God.
Brother Lawrence felt it was a great delusion to think that the times
of prayer ought to differ from other times. We are as strictly obliged
to adhere to God by action in the time of action, as by prayer in its
season. His own prayer was nothing else but a sense of the presence
of God, his soul being at that time insensible to everything but
Divine Love. When the appointed times of prayer were past, he found no
difference, because he still continued with God, praising and blessing
Him with all his might. Thus he passed his life in continual joy. Yet
he hoped that God would give him somewhat to suffer when he grew stronger.
Brother Lawrence said we ought, once and for all, heartily put our
whole trust in God, and make a total surrender of ourselves to Him,
secure that He would not deceive us. We ought not weary of doing little
things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work,
but the love with which it is performed. We should not wonder if, in
the beginning, we often failed in our endeavors, but that at last we
should gain a habit which will naturally produce its acts in us without
our care and to our exceeding great delight.
The whole substance of religion was faith, hope, and charity. In the
practice of these we become united to the will of God. Everything else
is indifferent and to be used as a means that we may arrive at our end
and then be swallowed up by faith and charity. All things are possible
to him who believes. They are less difficult to him who hopes. They are
more easy to him who loves, and still more easy to him who perseveres
in the practice of these three virtues. The end we ought to propose to
ourselves is to become, in this life, the most perfect worshippers of
God we can possibly be, and as we hope to be through all eternity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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