Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (c. 1614–1691), born Nicolas Herman in the Lorraine region of France, was a Discalced Carmelite lay brother of the Paris monastery whose humble hidden life became one of the great treasures of Christian spirituality. A soldier and footman before entering religious life, he spent decades in the monastery kitchen and later repairing sandals — and there, among the pots and pans, he learned to converse continually with God, doing every small task for love of him.

After his death, his letters and recorded conversations were gathered into The Practice of the Presence of God, a little book that has taught millions to find God in the ordinary present moment. Ascension publishes The Practice of the Presence of God in its Catholic Classics line, and the book is explored episode by episode in season five of Ascension’s Catholic Classics podcast with Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., and Rebecca Dougherty.