There were also times when his theology seemed a bit heavy on the idea that God sends all inflictions and suffering and sickness to purge/cure our soul. Nouwen added that the more he reflected on Brother Lawrence's advice, he became aware that it "is not just a nice idea for a seventeenth-century monk but a most important challenge to our present-day life situation. Brother Lawrence lived and worked most of his life at the monastery of the Discalced Carmelites on the Rue de Vaugirard in Paris, where he spent many years working in the kitchen. Surprisingly, Brother Lawrence’s actual text is only about four pages long, the rest, as they say, is commentary--including Brother Lawrence's own commentary and letters.

Presence of God - Goodreads The Practice of the Presence of God - Goodreads

I think, possibly, reading Law's book just a couple months ago wrecked anything I could have gotten out of "The Practice of the Presence of God. By concentrating on the simple, uncomplicated duties of the kitchen, Brother Lawrence developed his method of prayer. Brother Lawrence makes an example of the chore of doing dishes and serving in the kitchen to bolster his proposition that any activity can be completed inside the presence of God but I found that to be pretty hollow. Never tire of doing even the smallest things for Him, because He isn’t impressed so much with the dimensions of our work as with the love in which it is done.I was disappointed to learn that really only about half of this book was written by Brother Lawrence. How happy we would be if we could find the treasure of which the Gospel speaks; all else would be as nothing. All the while, he is subject to work that would have been brutally difficult -- imagine preparing meals for a huge community of (probably grouchy) men at a time when stoves and ovens were wood-fired and there was no air conditioning or even electric fans, and all the cookware was heavy cast iron or copper -- he worked in the inferno on earth. It is this last emphasis, the reliance on God’s grace for all of this, which makes this book so wonderful to me.

The Presence Of God - Online Bible 49 Bible Verses about The Presence Of God - Online Bible

I guess I was expecting some great revelation about how to be a better Christian but the basic message here is "practice the presence of God every day. Now as a Catholic I am at least honest enough to see that the book is marvelous in proposing to us that we should seek always to be mindful of our Lord, as best we can. That we ought to act with God in the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him frankly and plainly, and imploring His assistance in our affairs, just as they happen. I had an image of Brother Lawrence as a jolly monk who took pleasure in cleaning pots and cooking," Edmonson wrote.

Neither skill nor knowledge is required to enable us to go to God…” Rather, this sort of continual prayer can only come by a deep sense of our helplessness and weakness before God. This is why David proclaims, “in your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps 16:11). I was given it to borrow from a friend and when I saw the size of it I figured I'd have it done in an afternoon. He had a reputation for experiencing profound peace and visitors came to seek spiritual guidance from him.