Everything is possible for those who believe, even more for those who hope, still more for those who love, and most of all for those who practice and persevere in these three powerful paths.
—Brother Lawrence, Practice of the Presence
Brother Lawrence wrote down a short list of spiritual maxims or suggestions for the spiritual life that were published after his death. They included the reminder that “everything is possible” and to remain “humble and authentic.” CAC core faculty member Carmen Acevedo Butcher offers a modern translation of his instruction to “work gently”:
The most sacred, most ordinary, and most necessary practice in the spiritual life is the presence of God. When we practice the presence, we enjoy and become familiar with God’s divine company, speaking humbly and looking to them [1] lovingly for support all the time, at every moment, without methods or limits, especially during times of temptation, pain, loneliness, exhaustion, and even disbelief and stumbling….
We do all actions deliberately and thoughtfully, without being rash or rushed (which are signs of an untrained mind). We work gently and in love with God, asking them to accept our work. By our ongoing attention to God, we will break the cycle of harmfulness, and make all weapons fall.
During our work and other activities, even during our reading and writing, no matter how spiritual, … we must stop for a brief moment, as often as we can, to love God deep in our heart, to savor them, even though this is brief and in secret. Since you are aware that God is present before you during your actions, that they are in the deep center of your soul, why not stop your activities and even your vocal prayers, at least from time to time, to love God, praise them, ask for their help, offer them your heart, and thank them?…
Ultimately, we can offer God no greater evidence of our faithfulness than by frequently detaching and turning from all things created so we can enjoy their Creator for a single moment. I don’t mean to give the impression, though, that you should stop working or abandon your duties. That would be impossible. Wisdom, the mother of all our spiritual strengths, will be your guide. I am saying, however, that it is a common oversight among spiritually minded people not to turn from outside engagements from time to time to worship God within ourselves and enjoy in peace some small moments of their divine presence.
This practice begins with a faith that God is truly present in all times and circumstances:
All this reverence must be done by faith, believing God is really living in our hearts, and we must honor, love, and serve them in spirit and in truth…. Infinitely excellent and with sovereign power, they deserve all that we are, and everything in heaven and on earth, now and through eternity. All our thoughts, words, and actions belong rightly to God. Let’s put this into practice.
References:
[1] From Translator’s Note: “This binary-surpassing, unified threeness at the center of the lived spirituality of Brother Lawrence is one reason that the representation of God in this translation has a home in pronouns “they/themself/theirs.” These signify the trinitarian mystery of Love, the friar’s leitmotif, and limn the image of the Trinity’s community, or perichoresis.” (Acevedo Butcher, Practice of the Presence, 35)
Nicolas Herman, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, Practice of the Presence, trans. Carmen Acevedo Butcher (Broadleaf Books, 2022), 47, 48–49.
Image credit and inspiration: Bruce Tang, untitled (detail), 2019, photo, Japan, Unsplash. Click here to enlarge image. Attentive to the moment and the task at hand, we find that holiness lives in simple, ordinary rhythms—no grand cathedral required, only the quiet altar of a kitchen table.
Story from Our Community:
I find my joy arising in the midst of my morning meditation practice overlooking my small pond. Here I allow my heart and mind to be so calmed that I sense the presence and guidance of Spirit. It’s in this timeless moment that I know the Oneness, that I know there is nothing to fear, and that joy arises from deep within! God indwells and lives through us; I ask to more fully become a source of God’s love in this hurting world.
—Jan G.
