Pope Leo’s summer spiritual reading list recommendation: ‘The Practice of the Presence of God’

It’s a slim volume; the Ascension Press edition of “The Practice of the Presence of God” by the 17th-century French Carmelite friar Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection runs just 131 pages in the print edition, with notes.

But the little book, published this year and retailing around $21, is now making impressive devotional waves more than three centuries after it was written.

The reason is not simply its enduring spiritual value, but also that Brother Lawrence has since secured a rather notable literary patron: Pope Leo XIV.

On the papal plane returning to Rome after his first international trip to Turkey and Lebanon, Pope Leo held an in-flight press conference.

“There’s a German journalist on here,” he said in the course of replying to a question, waving his hand over the jet’s passengers, “who said to me the other day, ‘Tell me one book — besides St. Augustine — that we could read to understand who Prevost is'” (referring to the pontiff’s civilian name, Robert Prevost).

Pope Leo’s answer? “The Practice of the Presence of God.”

“It describes, if you will,” he explained, “a type of prayer and spirituality where one simply gives his life to the Lord and allows the Lord to lead. And if you want to know something about me,” the pope concluded, “that’s been my spirituality for many years.”

Ascension’s version not only includes a foreword by Pope Leo — written for the edition released by the Vatican Publishing House, Libreria Editrice Vaticana — but each chapter is also accompanied by commentary and an online podcast from Father Gregory Pine, a Dominican friar, theology professor and director of the Thomistic Institute, and his sister, Rebecca Dougherty, a theologian and podcaster.

The brother and sister team talked to OSV News to tell readers why Brother Lawrence is still relevant reading.

“The encouragement of the book is that we can be in conversation with God; that we’re intended to be in conversation with God,” said Father Pine. “Whereas, I think a lot of us experience our life as if we were in conversation with ourselves, about ourselves. That’s not God’s original intention for us — he wants us to be in conversation with him, and with each other about him … in a way that’s more enriching and joy-giving.”

His sister agreed. “The overall theme — or the overall invitation and idea — is that God is present to us at all times, everywhere, to everyone,” Dougherty said.

“And so we simply need to tap into that presence — it’s not like we need to do another devotion, or add another thing to the spiritual to-do list,” she explained. “We simply open ourselves up — at every moment of the day, no matter what we’re doing; folding the laundry, doing the dishes, mowing the lawn, walking the dog — to the presence of God, a God who is always and everywhere present to us.”

Brother Lawrence’s own direction is this: “The holiest, most common, and most necessary practice in the spiritual life is to practice being in the presence of God — that is, to take delight in His divine company, accustoming oneself to it, speaking humbly and conversing lovingly with Him at all times, at every moment, without rule or measure, especially in times of temptation, suffering, dryness, distaste, and even in moments of infidelity and sin.”

Most important of all: Don’t overthink it.

“A lot of us are tempted to overcomplicate the spiritual life — we’re worried that there’s a code or a key that we’re missing out on to the spiritual life,” Father Pine observed. “When in fact, the code — the key — it’s just Jesus. But obviously, we can be better at listening to Jesus and responding to Jesus — and that’s what the book tries to do.”

“A lot of people feel like they’re busy; there’s just so much on their plate — ‘I don’t have time for another thing; another devotion,'” Dougherty added. “But it’s very simple and straightforward. It’s short, it’s doable.”

And what was it like for the siblings to collaborate for the volume?

“She’s one of my best friends. She’s just got a really delightful approach to the Christian life, the spiritual life, and the perspective of a mom and wife,” Father Pine shared.

“We have always been kind of kindred spirits growing up,” recalled Dougherty. “Then our vocations brought us in different directions. So it’s fun to have a project to work on together.”

The designation “classic” can sometimes be overused, but both Father Pine and Dougherty feel it’s merited in the case of “The Practice of the Presence of God.”

“There’s a handful of books we continue to come back to because at the end of the day, everyone’s trying to get at the most foundational truths,” said Father Pine. “I think in the course of the Church’s history, some people have just received graces and charisms to perceive and then communicate that better than others. Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection is one of those people.”

Ultimately, said Dougherty, people just need to make a start.

“I think sometimes there’s this idea … that we have to be perfect,” she said. “But just do it and God will make it perfect, because he loves us and wills our good, wills our happiness, wills our best. We don’t have to gather ourselves up, to then present ourselves to God. He’s with us already,” Dougherty advised. “And so we can entrust ourselves to him — he does the heavy lifting, for and with us.”

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