This article offers a fresh exploration of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, tracing his life, spirituality, and the renewed interest prompted by Pope Leo XIV’s recent remarks. Alongside an accessible introduction to his gentle wisdom, young adults share how reading The Practice of the Presence of God has shaped their prayer and helped them discover the relevance of his simple, everyday practice of God’s presence in the ordinary rhythms of life. The article includes reflections by Pippa Marshall and Michael Chambers, with thanks to the members of the Young Adult Carmelite Group for their insights and participation.
Last December, there was a little flurry of excitement in Carmelite circles, as we saw a sudden interest in one of our less well-known figures, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection.
Pope Leo XIV was returning from his visit to Turkey and Lebanon. He spoke to some journalists on the flight, and he was asked about the influences on his spirituality. He said:
‘There is a German journalist … who said to me the other day, tell me one book, besides Saint Augustine, that we could read to understand who Prevost is. And there’s several I thought of, but one of them is a book called The Practice of the Presence of God. It’s a very simple book, by someone who doesn’t even give his last name, Brother Lawrence. I read it many years ago. But it describes, if you will, a type of prayer and spirituality where one simply gives his life to the Lord and allows the Lord to lead. If you want to know something about me, that’s been my spirituality for many years.’[1]
Brother Lawrence is not the best known of our Carmelite predecessors. If asked to name a single Carmelite writer to stand for the whole of our spirituality, Saints Teresa, John and Thérèse would be much more common choices. Even amongst those who are experts in Carmelite spirituality Br Lawrence isn’t the best known figure: it is a considerable time since he was last mentioned in Mount Carmel[2] and the standard works on Carmelite spirituality and history only mention him relatively briefly.[3] And as I’ve discovered since December, it is easy to buy copies of his book,[4] but there is little secondary literature that either analyses his ideas or sets them in their historical context.
Who was Brother Lawrence?
Biography
Brother Lawrence was born Nicolas Herman in 1614, in Hériménil, a small village in Lorraine, in France. He grew up in a time of uncertainty, during the Thirty Years War. He became a soldier, fighting in the army of Duke Charles IV of Lorraine, but was captured by German forces, accused of being a spy and threatened with death. However, Nicolas established his innocence and, reunited with his comrades was seriously injured in the leg during the siege of Rambervillers, on the 10th of August 1635 (the feast of St Lawrence). Apart from these, there are no details known of his military life, during this notoriously bloody war. We don’t know what he saw, experienced or participated in.
Afterwards, he went to Paris, and tried to make a living as a servant, but found that his clumsiness meant that he was unsuitable for the role. In 1640, he joined the Discalced Carmelite Order in Paris, taking the name of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. He lived in that community as a non-ordained brother until his death in 1691. A significant proportion of that long period in Carmel was spent working in the kitchen, keeping a hundred members of the community nourished. Later, as his health began to decline he served the needs of the community by making sandals.
How his works came to be published
Three years after his death a book of Lawrence’s teaching was published by an anonymous biographer, who has since been identified as Joseph de Beaufort.[5] This presented some writings by Br Lawrence, as well as a few texts about him that were written by the biographer himself.
Sixteen of Br Lawrence’s letters survive, written to a variety of recipients who include a priest, some nuns and lay people.[6] Their content gives a clear idea of how Br Lawrence approached the spiritual life, but since they were written to address particular situations in the lives of a variety of people, they can seem quite unfocussed and repetitive to a modern reader. However, there is also a more systematic account of his thinking, which bears the title Spiritual Maxims.
There are also some contemporary and near-contemporary notes about Br Lawrence that were written by his biographer, and these are also normally included in the available editions of The Practice of the Presence of God. They include a summary of his teaching and a text called Conversations, containing notes made by his biographer after a series of visits to Br Lawrence.
His ideas
Br Lawrence saw himself as a simple man, unsuited for complicated devotions. Instead he tried to live his life constantly aware of the presence of God. As he wrote in his Spiritual Maxims:
‘We must continually apply ourselves so that all our actions, without exception, become a kind of brief conversation with God, not in a contrived manner but coming from the purity and simplicity of our hearts.’[7]
This practice of awareness of God’s presence is something that takes place in the present moment. Our failure to live in the present is something that ties God’s hands, preventing the torrent of God’s love from entering into our lives. During his first years in Carmelite life, Lawrence seems to have struggled with his past:
‘The apprehension that I did not belong to God as I wished, my past sins always before my eyes, and the lavish graces God gave me, were the sum and substance of all my woes … Other times I thought I was willingly damning myself, that there was no salvation for me.’[8]
Is this simply the normal lack of confidence of a spiritual beginner, or is there something particular weighing on his mind? According to de Meester, ‘We wonder if he, as a soldier, participated in one way or another in the lootings often accompanied by the atrocious, cruel violence so characteristic of the Thirty Years’ War.’[9]
Br Lawrence’s teaching has been described as a ‘method-less method’. His experience as a lay brother involved in the many practical tasks needed to keep large community well fed and well shod led him to a spirituality with the flexibility to be a part of everyday life for all sorts of people. His teaching encourages us to take advantage of the brief interruptions in a busy day, when we are not otherwise occupied and can raise our attention to God.
Reading Br Lawrence’s works, we can immediately see connections to Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, most obviously in how his life experience overlaps with Teresa’s ideal of ‘finding God amongst the pots and the pans’. However, there are also links to some of his less well-known Carmelite predecessors, such as the blind poet and musician John of St Samson (1571-1636), and the two Spanish Carmelites Juan Sanz (1557-1631) and Miguel de la Fuente (1573-1625). These authors share an emphasis on continual prayer even in the midst of external activity. In the words of Desiderio Garcia Martinez:
‘The practice of the presence of God precedes aspirative prayer, just as understanding precedes the will. The practice of constant and uninterrupted prayer accompanies the Carmelite in all activities outside the monastery. And here, according to the authors of the Touraine school, lies the solution for harmoniously uniting apostolate and contemplation.’[10]
His influence
Brother Lawrence’s works were soon translated into other languages. The first English translation was made in 1724. His works became popular in certain Protestant circles, including those around John Wesley, who read them to his faithful during his missionary journey in America, and they were among those published in Wesley’s Christian Library.
However, Br Lawrence never became well-known in the Catholic world, and especially so in his native France. This is largely because his works became wrongly entwined within the controversies surrounding Quietism, as discussed in de Meester’s introduction to the critical edition of his works.[11] They disappeared from Catholic sight for a long period, and Br Lawrence had little direct influence on the French Carmelite tradition. We know that the libraries of the Carmels at Lisieux and Dijon did not have copies of his writings. There are obvious connections to be made between Br Lawrence and the writings of St Elizabeth of the Trinity, and especially St Thérèse, but these are not due to a direct influence between them, but simply that they were both reflecting on the same Carmelite predecessors, especially John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, and were part of the continuing French spiritual tradition.
Br Lawrence began to become better known in Catholic circles in the twentieth century. One of the pioneers in this was Titus Brandsma: his interest in the study of mystical texts written in the vernacular languages made him an ideal person to do this. Since then, a greater ecumenical openness has allowed Lawrence to return to his Catholic roots, and his importance as an exemplar of the Carmelite tradition has slowly begun to be recognised. Let us hope that the increased interest in him after Pope Leo’s approval allows this process to continue.
However, his contribution to our charism has not been forgotten. Over the last few years, the British Province of Carmelites has been running online Zoom meetings for small numbers of young adults. These take place roughly monthly on a Sunday evening, and over time have gradually taken the form of a book club, where we read a book on Carmelite spirituality together, and discuss how it relates to our lives. We were about halfway through reading Br Lawrence when the Pope’s comments were publicised, and suddenly our Sunday evening meetings began to feel very topical. With this in mind, we present reflections from two members of the group on their experience of reading Br Lawrence as young people in today’s world.
Reflection by Pippa Marshall
Having the opportunity to read The Practice of the Presence of God as part of a group has been an enriching experience so far. On a personal level, I feel as though this is the right book at the right time. I was looking for a way to go deeper into a more contemplative way of life, and this little book is proving invaluable. Brother Lawrence’s directness is refreshing and challenging, speaking straightforwardly into some of the most challenging aspects of the spiritual life, in ways that are strikingly relevant to contemporary culture. In an age when we seem to struggle with distractions more than ever before, I think this book has something to offer everyone striving to live a more prayerful life focused on God.
I appreciate how Brother Lawrence does not attempt to complicate his method of being with God through a habitual awareness of God’s presence, or as he puts it, ‘keeping my mind in His holy presence, and recalling it as often as I found it wandered from Him’ (Letter 2). Instead of complicating this idea later in the text, Brother Lawrence reinforces his message and firmly insists on its importance. I found this striking and compelling. While the format and syntax of parts of the book were difficult at first, I found the experience of engaging with Brother Lawrence’s ideas encouraging and profound.
Brother Lawrence’s explanations are relevant and engaging. I appreciated the everyday examples and details that he uses, preventing his ideas from being merely abstract concepts. I was particularly encouraged by Brother Lawrence’s recommendation: ‘Lift up your heart to Him, sometimes even at your meals, and when you are in company; the least little remembrance will always be acceptable to Him’ (Letter 9). I find that reading the book and trying to apply it to my life is helping me to pray and to spend time with God in the everyday moments of ordinary living.
Pope Leo XIV’s comments on the value of The Practice of the Presence of God are very encouraging, and it was wonderful to hear the Pope’s thoughts on what we have been reading. The fact that this book has had such a significant impact on the Pope’s spirituality also suggests to me that Brother Lawrence has much to offer many people, as this simple and engaging spiritual practice can be of benefit even amidst great responsibility.
With perseverance, I hope to continue to integrate the practice of the presence of God into my daily life. I would really recommend this book, and the experience of reading it as a group. The wisdom and experience of the Carmelite friars and the other members of the group has illuminated many aspects of the book that I would have easily missed on my own. I am grateful for being able to engage with this intriguing and important text as part of a group, at a time when the guidance it contains seems particularly needed. I hope others will be able to connect with Brother Lawrence’s words and find guidance on their journeys through life.
Reflection by Michael Chambers
It’s hard to pin down the exact feeling that comes from reading Br Lawrence’s Practice of the Presence of God. What Br Lawrence puts forward is this radical re-evaluation of the spiritual life, guided and formed by a very close and intimate relationship with Our Lord.
It would naturally be incorrect to presume that Br Lawrence is the only spiritual writer who has had these thoughts and has come to this realisation. Indeed, the entire foundation of the spiritual life is communion with God. However, it is the manner in which Br Lawrence promotes and lays out his ‘Way’ that is in contrast to other writers. Indeed, Br Lawrence puts it in such a stark and plain manner that someone such as myself (a ‘spiritual beginner’ in many ways) can come to practise the presence of God regularly and habitually.
I feel it’s important to take a step back and address the context of the book. The letters, which comprise the majority of the Practice of the Presence of God are all private letters. Whilst the names of the addressees have been redacted or lost to time, it appears that Br Lawrence became somewhat known for his different approach to everyday holiness. I believe that this why his work feels so different in terms of it’s style and its directness – it’s what makes it so refreshing. I often find in my readings of other Catholic spiritual works that there is a great deal of flowery language used, which I can sometimes find to be distracting and confusing (this is my own defect, not that of the authors); and whilst there is a danger in greatly reducing these works to bullet points or ‘5 Steps to Achieve Holiness’, I do find myself wishing that they would simply get to the point. In his own way, Br Lawrence does just that, he presents his work in what one could describe as abrupt. He speaks plainly and does not mince his words.
I admit that I thought reading The Practice of the Presence of God would give me this unique spiritual insight and revelation. I thought that I would have a ‘eureka’ moment when everything suddenly came together – especially when, as our book club was reading it – the Pope referenced the book in an interview. However, to my initial disappointment, this did not happen. However, as I continue to reflect on his words and his spiritual direction, I realise that this is the antithesis of Br Lawrence’s Practice. Developing a healthy and lively spiritual life is not about huge or shocking moments of revelation. Instead, much like any relationship, it is built upon small and everyday gestures that bring people closer together. Big gestures can be great, but they don’t sustain us.
Br Lawrence instead insists that we can become saints through our everyday experiences. Not through just one of them, but all of them – ‘one does not become holy all at once.’ (Letter 8).
[1] Pope Leo XIV, Press Conference during the Flight to Rome, 2nd December 2025. https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/speeches/2025/december/documents/20251202-libano-volo-ritorno.html accessed 22nd March 2026.
[2] The last time Mount Carmel featured an article on Brother Lawrence was in Volume 65, Number 4 (October–December 2017). See pp. 45–53.
[3] For example, At the Fountain of Elijah. Wilfrid McGreal (1999), pp.77-85.
[4] The standard edition is The Practice of the Presence of God. Br Lawrence of the Resurrection (1994), which is a translation by Salvatore Sciurba of Conrad de Meester’s critical edition, published by ICS Publications. All quotes and citations in this article come from this edition.
[5] The Practice of the Presence of God. Br Lawrence of the Resurrection (1994), ICS Publications, pp. xxx-xxxii.
[6] Note that the numbering of the letters is not consistent across different translations of The Practice of the Presence of God.
[7] Br Lawrence, Spiritual Maxims, 7.
[8] Letter 2.
[9] The Practice of the Presence of God. Br Lawrence of the Resurrection (1994), ICS Publications, pp. xviii.
[10] Desiderio Garcia Martinez, unpublished material.
[11] The Practice of the Presence of God. Br Lawrence of the Resurrection (1994), ICS Publications, pp. xxv.
