The Practice of the Presence of God | Page 3

perfect liberty and continual joy. He placed his sins between
himself and God to tell Him that he did not deserve His favors yet God still continued to
bestow them in abundance.
Brother Lawrence said that in order to form a habit of conversing with God continually
and referring all we do to Him, we must at first apply to Him with some diligence. Then,
after a little care, we would find His love inwardly excite us to it without any difficulty.
He expected after the pleasant days God had given him, he would have his turn of pain
and suffering. Yet he was not uneasy about it. Knowing that, since he could do nothing of
himself, God would not fail to give him the strength to bear them.
When an occasion of practicing some virtue was offered, he addressed himself to God
saying, "Lord, I cannot do this unless Thou enablest me". And then he received strength
more than sufficient. When he had failed in his duty, he only confessed his fault saying to
God, "I shall never do otherwise, if You leave me to myself. It is You who must hinder
my falling and mend what is amiss." Then, after this, he gave himself no further
uneasiness about it.
Brother Lawrence said 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.
God never failed to grant it, as Brother Lawrence had often experienced.
He said he had been lately sent into Burgundy to buy the provision of wine for the
community. This was a very unwelcome task for him because he had no turn for business
and because he was lame and could not go about the boat but by rolling himself over the
casks. Yet he gave himself no uneasiness about it, nor about the purchase of the wine. He
said to God, it was His business he was about, and that he afterwards found it very well
performed. He mentioned that it had turned out the same way the year before when he
was sent to Auvergne.
So, likewise, in his business in the kitchen (to which he had naturally a great aversion),
having accustomed himself to do everything there for the love of God and asking for His
grace to do his work well, he had found everything easy during the fifteen years that he
had been employed there. He was very pleased with the post he was now in. Yet he was
as ready to quit that as the former, since he tried to please God by doing little things for
the love of Him in any work he did. With him the set times of prayer were not different
from other times. He retired to pray according to the directions of his superior, but he did
not need such retirement nor ask for it because his greatest business did not divert him
from God.
Since he knew his obligation to love God in all things, and as he endeavored to do so, he
had no need of a director to advise him, but he greatly needed a confessor to absolve him.
He said he was very sensible of his faults but not discouraged by them. He confessed
them to God and made no excuses. Then, he peaceably resumed his usual practice of love
and adoration.
In his trouble of mind, Brother Lawrence had consulted no one. Knowing only by the
light of faith that God was present, he contented himself with directing all his actions to
Him. He did everything with a desire to please Him and let what would come of it.

He said that useless thoughts spoil all - that the mischief began there. We ought to reject
them as soon as we perceived their impertinence and return to our communion with God.
In the beginning he had often passed his time appointed for prayer in rejecting wandering
thoughts and falling right back into them. He could never regulate his devotion by certain
methods as some do. Nevertheless, at first he had meditated for some time, but afterwards
that went off in a manner that he could give no account of. Brother Lawrence emphasized
that all bodily mortifications and other exercises are useless unless they serve to arrive at
the union with God by love. He had well considered this. He found that the shortest way
to go straight to God was by a continual exercise of love and doing all things for His
sake.
He noted that there was a great difference between the acts of the intellect and those of
the will. Acts of the intellect were comparatively of little value. Acts of the will were all
important. Our only business was