Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (c.1614–91,) born Nicolas Herman, was a French lay brother and mystic in the Carmelite monastery. He is celebrated for the intimacy he conveyed about his relationship to God as recorded in his La pratique de la présence de Dieu (“The Practice of the Presence of God.”)
Born in Hériménil, Lorraine, Brother Lawrence was a soldier and a hermit before entering the Discalced Carmelite monastery at Paris in 1649. He took charge of the kitchen and led a life of almost constant recollection (attention to the presence of God in the soul.) He became ‘Brother Lawrence’ at the age of fifty-five.
After Brother Lawrence died, his Abbé de Beaufort compiled two little books from his notes and letters and reminiscences of conversations with him. These were published as Maximes spirituelles (1692) and Mœurs et entretiens de F. Laurent (1694.) Together, they’ve came to be known under the title La pratique de la présence de Dieu (The Practice of the Presence of God.)
In his writings, Brother Lawrence recommended an elevated form of prayer consisting of the simple practice of the presence of God, whether by the imagination or the intellect. Translations include Marshall Davis’s The Practice of the Presence of God (2013) and J.D. Nelson’s Devotional & Study Guide (2016.)
Brother Lawrence’s insightful maxims featured prominently in Roman Catholic theologian François Fénelon in his masterpiece Explication des Maximes des Saints (1699; Maxims of the Saints.)
The Yorkshire, U.K.-based Companions of Brother Lawrence is an ecumenical group of Christians who follow the precepts set by Brother Lawrence.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Brother Lawrence
A little lifting of the heart suffices; a little remembrance of God, one act of inward worship are prayers which, however short, are nevertheless acceptable to God.
—Brother Lawrence
Topics: Prayer
The greater perfection a soul aspires after, the more dependent it is upon Divine Grace.
—Brother Lawrence
Our only business is to love and delight ourselves in God.
—Brother Lawrence
You need not cry veiy loud; he is nearer to us than we think.
—Brother Lawrence
Topics: Prayer
The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.
—Brother Lawrence
Topics: Prayer
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.
—Brother Lawrence
Topics: Faithfulness, Marriage
We ought to act with God in the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him frankly and plainly, and imploring His assistance in our affairs.
—Brother Lawrence
Topics: Prayer
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