Quotes from Brother Lawrence

Let us seek Him often by faith. He is within us: seek Him not elsewhere. If

he expected after the pleasant days GOD had given him, he should have his turn of pain and suffering; but that he was not uneasy about it, knowing very well, that as he could do nothing of himself, GOD would not fail to give him the strength to bear it.

All things are possible to him who believes. They are less difficult to him who hopes. They are easier to him who loves. And they are easiest to him who perseveres in the practice of all three virtues.

It is shameful to abandon this divine communion to occupy our minds with trivial matters. We should feed and nourish our souls with high thoughts of God, which yield us great joy in devotion to Him.

O my GOD, since Thou art with me, and I must now, in obedience to Thy commands, apply my mind to these outward things, I beseech Thee to grant me the grace to continue in Thy Presence; and to this end do Thou prosper me with Thy assistance, receive all my works, and possess all my affections.

That we should establish ourselves in a sense of GOD'S Presence, by continually conversing with Him. That it was a shameful thing to quit His conversation, to think of trifles and fooleries.

Als ik Hem in geloof zie, zie ik eigenlijk zo goed dat ik soms zeg: 'Ik geloof niet meer! Ik zie!

My most usual method is this simple attention, and such a general passionate regard to GOD; to whom I find myself often attached with greater sweetness and delight than that of an infant at the mother's breast: so that if I dare use the expression, I should choose to call this state the bosom of GOD, for the inexpressible sweetness which I taste and experience there.

Why should we be satisfied with a brief moment of worship? With such meager devotion, we restrain the flow of God's abundant grace. If God can find a soul filled with a lively faith, He pours His grace into it in a torrent which, having found an open channel, gushes out exuberantly.

The goal of the spiritual life is to become the most perfect worshippers of God that we can possibly be, in this life and throughout all eternity.

To succeed in giving ourselves to God as much as He desires, we must

Believe me, count as lost each day you have not used in loving GoD." -BROTHER LAWRENCE.

The trust we put in God honors Him greatly and draws down great blessings.

Many people do not advance in the Christian life, because they get stuck in penances and particular spiritual exercises. They neglect the love of God, which is the goal.

he told me the spiritual life was a life of grace, which begins with servile fear, which is increased by hope of eternal life, and which is consummated by pure love.

The spiritual life is neither an art nor a science. To arrive at union with God all one needs is a heart resolutely determined to apply itself to nothing but Him, do nothing but for His sake, and to love Him only.

Sometimes I consider myself there as a stone before a carver, whereof he is to make a statue; presenting myself thus before GOD, I desire Him to form His perfect image in my soul, and make me entirely like Himself.

Only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us of sin. For this reason, we should strive to love Him with all our hearts.

It is not necessary for being with GOD to be always at church; we may make an oratory of our heart, wherein to retire from time to time, to converse with Him in meekness, humility, and love. Every one is capable of such familiar conversation with GOD, some more, some less: He knows what we can do.

Imagine a world with just you and God. In this world, you have a present, personal, and indisputable sense that He is all yours and you are all His.

Gradually train yourself to show your love for Him by asking for His grace. Offer your heart to Him at every moment

Before he had experienced God's swift help in his affairs, he had attempted to plan every detail, doing the job in his own strength. Now, though, acting with childlike simplicity in God's sight, he did everything for the love of God, thanking Him for His guidance.

Many people do not advance in the Christian life, because they get stuck in penances and particular spiritual exercises. They neglect the love of God, which is the goal. This could be seen plainly by their works, and was the reason why we see so little solid virtue. The spiritual life is neither an art nor a science. To arrive at union with God all one needs is a heart resolutely determined to apply itself to nothing but Him, do nothing but for His sake, and to love Him only.

Yet, strain does not seem to do good. At the moment I feel something "let go" inside, lo, God is here! It is a heart-melting "here-ness," a lovely whispering of father to child; and the reason I did not have it before was that I had failed to let go.