Ever since Pope Leo XIV mentioned it, many have become fascinated by a book he said "most shaped my spiritual life." That book is The Practice of the Presence of God, written by lay Carmelite friar Br. Lawrence.
It is a deeply spiritual book, and Pope Leo recently wrote an introduction for a new edition. In the introduction, he explains how the book is both "simple" and "arduous":
The path Brother Lawrence points out to us is simple and arduous at the same time. Simple, because it requires nothing other than constantly calling God to mind, with small, continual acts of praise, prayer, supplication, adoration, in every action and in every thought, having as our horizon, source, and end Him alone. Arduous, because it demands a journey of purification, of ascetic discipline, of renunciation and conversion of the most intimate part of us—of our mind and our thoughts even more than of our actions.
To assist the average Catholic to more fully understand the spiritual truths communicated by Br. Lawrence, Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., and Rebecca Dougherty (Fr. Pine's real-life sister), will host a new podcast series on Ascension's Catholic Classics podcast.
Each episode will follow a similar format, including an audio narration from the book itself, followed by a commentary on the contents by Fr. Pine and Rebecca. The commentary will have a mix of "levity" and spiritual insight.
Presence of God
Fr. Pine explained to Ascension the importance of Br. Lawrence's book and why it retains it s relevance today:
What [The Practice of the Presence of God] will provide you with is a kind of clarity about what matters and at the end of the day, what matters is to be present to God. So what he proposes is just simple aspirational prayers whereby you refer yourself to him throughout the course of the day. So I think that just the constant encouragement… to practice the presence of God will be a source of strength.
The podcast will be available starting June 8, and Ascension has produced its own edition of the book for listeners to use while listening to the podcast.
