Brother Lawrence left few effects upon his death. Among them was a manuscript entitled Spiritual Maxims. In his first maxim, Brother Lawrence discusses 6 practices necessary to acquire the spiritual life. The first 3 practices are covered here.
1. Brother Lawrence first defines what it means to practice the presence of God: “To practice the presence of God is to take pleasure in and become accustomed to His Divine company, speaking humbly and conversing lovingly in our hearts with Him at all times and at every moment, especially in times of temptation, pain, spiritual dryness, revulsion to spiritual things, and even unfaithfulness and sin.”
2. We must apply ourselves continually to practicing the presence of God so that all our actions reflect spontaneous conversations with God.
3. These practices are to be carried out with a gentle, tranquil, and loving spirit, not a distraught spirit that is impulsive and impetuous.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Best practices- Part 2”
