Hériménil, Lorraine, France·c. 1614 – 1691
Frère Laurent
Brother Lawrence
The Cook Who Found God Among the Pots and Pans
He practiced the presence of God while peeling potatoes.
“The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the Blessed Sacrament.”
Life
Born Nicolas Herman around 1614 in Lorraine, France, he was a soldier and a footman before a midwinter experience at age eighteen transformed him. Looking at a bare tree, he was struck by the realization that God would bring it to leaf and bloom again — and in that moment a profound awareness of God’s providence and presence awakened in him that never left.
He entered the Discalced Carmelite monastery in Paris as a lay brother, taking the name Lawrence of the Resurrection. Assigned to the kitchen, he spent thirty years cooking and cleaning. He found that this humble work, done in continuous remembrance of God, was itself the highest prayer.
His conversations and letters were compiled after his death into The Practice of the Presence of God, which has never gone out of print. He died on 12 February 1691. His teaching remains remarkable for its radical simplicity: no special method, no elaborate technique — just a habitual, loving attention to God in every moment.
One Heart
“We need only to recognize God intimately present with us, to address ourselves to Him every moment.”
Teachings
The Practice of the Presence of God
Maintain a continuous, gentle awareness of God’s presence in all activities — not only in prayer but while cooking, cleaning, and working. This habitual remembrance is itself the highest spiritual practice.
No Distinction Between Sacred and Mundane
The kitchen is as holy as the chapel. Every moment and every task is an opportunity for communion with God. The distinction between “spiritual” and “ordinary” activity is a false one.
Simplicity Over Method
Elaborate spiritual techniques can become obstacles. What is needed is simply a loving turn of the heart toward God, repeated gently whenever one notices it has wandered.
Works & Publications
The Practice of the Presence of God
Compiled posthumously from his conversations and letters. One of the most widely read spiritual texts in history.
Spiritual Maxims
Brief principles distilled from his practice of continuous awareness of God.
Letters
Personal correspondence revealing the intimate simplicity of his spiritual life.
An Inspiration
Brother Lawrence’s practice of continuous God-remembrance mirrors the Hindu practice of Naam Smaran — constant remembrance of the Divine Name. His radical simplicity echoes Swami Ramsukhdas’s insistence that no special technique is needed.