People of Note: Brother Lawrence

Note: To give everyone the heads up, this is the first of a sporadically recurring series in which I will focus on intriguing historical or modern figures that for whatever reason most people (myself included) are unfamiliar with.

Brother Lawrence

Brother Lawrence, born Nicholas Herman (1610-1691) was a Carmelite monk at the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Paris. His legacy is the text “The Practice of the Presence of God,” which chronicles his intimate relationship with God and the overwhelming joy this relationship gave him.

Herman’s extreme poverty forced him to join the army and serve in the Thirty Years’ war as a young man. It was during this time that he had a revelatory experience which shaped the rest of his life.

By all accounts, the revelation and ensuing realization was simple. As he gazed at a leafless tree in the dead of winter, Herman realized that he too was seemingly dead, but, like the tree, God had new life waiting for him. At that moment, he said, the leafless tree “first flashed in upon my soul the fact of God.” An unfailing love for God consumed Herman from that point onward.

Shortly after this experience Herman was injured and was forced to retire from the army. With his newfound love for God, he set out to find a place where he could “suffer for his failures.”

He entered the monastery as a lay brother, lacking the necessary education to become a cleric, and took the name “Lawrence of the Resurrection.” He was assigned to the kitchen, and amidst his daily chores of cooking and cleaning he developed his philosophy of spirituality and work. He writes “Men invent means and methods of coming at God's love, they learn rules and set up devices to remind them of that love, and it seems like a world of trouble to bring oneself into the consciousness of God's presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do our common business wholly for the love of him?"

Brother Lawrence believed that the presence of God, and the medium for His love, was found in daily tasks. Our only calling was to perform our duties wholly for God’s glory.

Because of Brother Lawrence’s profound, if simple, peace, many powerful religious leaders sought him out for spiritual guidance. The wisdom that he passed on to them would become the basis for “The Practice of the Presence of God,” which was compiled posthumously by Father Joseph de Beaufort, one of the many Brother Lawrence inspired.

To me, Brother Lawrence’s life philosophy is amazing in its simplicity. Imagine finding such fulfillment, value and worth from everyday tasks as simple as scrubbing pots and pans. Is it possible for all of us to attain contentment, peace, and ultimately uncontrollable happiness just by performing every task as an act of worship?

Imagine the overwhelming joy we could experience if everything we did was a medium of God’s love. We would never be absent from the presence of God. We wouldn’t get caught up in worldly affairs, in the superficiality of pride, possession, or the external pressures of “success.”

Is such a life desirable? Part of me thinks it would prevent us from striving for higher goals, leaving us stagnant. Is this my pride talking?

Tell me your thoughts.

Thanks for reading.