Before he entered a Carmelite monastery when he was middle-aged, Nicholas Herman (1611-1691) had been a soldier and servant and a hermit seeking God. Once he became Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, this humble man spent forty years in conversation with God. At first, the required three hours of daily prayer were difficult for him since his mind was often distracted. Then he realized that every minute of his life could be prayer: "The time of Business is no different from the time of Prayer. In the noise and clatter of my kitchen, I possess God as tranquilly as if I were upon my knees before the Blessed Sacrament," Brother Lawrence wrote.
His primary work was in the monastery kitchen, a job he initially hated, but eventually transformed into meditation and companionship with God. His book, Practicing the Presence of God, has inspired Christians over the centuries to find God in their everyday lives.
Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection died on February 12, 1691. The message of his life had been simple: "Believe and count as lost all the time that is not spent in loving God!"
Brother Lawrence
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