Quote of the Week  Brother Lawrence: The Practice of the Presence of God – The Best Rule of Holy Life

from the First Conversation

We should fix ourselves firmly in the presence of God by conversing all the time with Him . . . we should feed our soul with a lofty conception of God and from that derive great joy in being his. We should put life in our faith. We should give ourselves utterly to God in pure abandonment, in temporal and spiritual matters alike, and find contentment in the doing of His will,whether he takes us through sufferings or consolations.

Alternative translation (from Walk this Way: 40 Days on the Road with Jesus):

We should feed our spirits with big pictures of God – this will bring us much joy in living for him.

We should bring our faith to life! What a shame we have so little faith! Instead of taking faith as the one principle to govern our lives, we play around with petty devotions, changing them every day. The beating heart of Christ’s Church is the way of faith, and this alone is enough to lead us to perfect maturity.

We ought to abandon ourselves to God – completely, fully! We ought to give ourselves to God in our work and home and leisure as much as in our prayers and worship. We should never be satisfied with anything other than doing what God wants, whether he takes us down a difficult path or an easy one.