Lectio et Oratio

Episode 5 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.4 -- Doing God’s Will Not Necessarily Understanding it

In what does perfection consist?

Perfection consists in our wills being united with God's will. Perfection does consist in our fully understanding why God wills what he wills. Perfection does not consist in the mere studying of how God acts. We want to have God acting in us. We want to cooperate with God's action. Mere theories about how water quenches thirst will not help our actual thirst after a long and hot day. We want to pray and not just know about prayer.

Episode 4 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.3 -- Active and Passive Fidelity is Possible

In what does sanctity consist?

The active fulfillment of our duties before God and the passive acceptance of all He allows. De Caussade makes this fundamental distinction for understanding our spiritual lives. We must seek to do all that God asks. But then he also leads us to a loving acceptance of the actions of His Providence.

Episode 3 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.3 -- Active and Passive Conformity

Is this active and passive practice beyond our strength?

No. We have the ability to do what God asks and to accept what he sends. We have this ability by His grace. We simply must do what is in our power. He will take care of the rest.

Episode 2 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.2 -- Sacrament of the Present Moment

What is the sacrament of the present moment?

The term used by the Abandonment to Divine Providence to express the grace available to us in the duty of each moment. A sacrament is an outward sign of in inward and invisible grace. The seven sacraments are signs that communicate God's life to us. But the present moment in all its ordinariness, the duty of this moment, is a sign of God's will that can bring us inward grace.

Episode 1 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.1 -- God’s Hidden Operations

How does God speak to us today?

God has spoken to us through His Son. In his Son he made known all that He is and all His plans for our salvation. But the guidance that God wants to give us and the things he wants to say to each one of us can also be considered in light of God's hidden actions in history. All that happens during the day is somehow allowed by God. What do the events of the each day tell us? How do they relate to what God has said in his Son's Life, Death, and Resurrection? Where is the Holy Spirit in our daily life. All of these questions are taken up in this book.

Episode 57 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- Summary-Joys and Sufferings

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Episode 56 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- Summary-Various Practices

Can living in the presence of God help us in our time of mental prayer?

Yes. Br Lawrence explains how this practice has many benefits. One of them is that it disposes us to pray better during our time of mental prayer, that time of extended being alone with the One we know loves us. The practice of the presence of God takes on many forms. But they all help keep our soul still.

Episode 55 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- Summary-Means to this End

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Episode 54 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- Summary-Bad Self-love Overcome by Turning to God

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Episode 53 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- The Ways of Br Lawrence-Model for All

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Episode 52 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- The Ways of Br Lawrence-Sharing in God’s Life

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Episode 51 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- The Ways of Brother Lawrence-A True Christian Philosopher

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Episode 50 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- The Ways of Br Lawrence-His Death and Final Preparations

How did Br Lawrence prepare for death?

We read about his faith and his loving abandonment into the hands of God. He prepared for death as he lived. He kept before his mind the truth about God. He lived by the truth of God's love and goodness. Whatever God allowed, Br Lawrence accepted out of love.

Episode 49 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- The Ways of Brother Lawrence-Catholic Faith as Foundation

Do we need a Magisterium for guarding the faith of the Church?

Yes. Br Lawrence lived by faith, a faith that accepted all that God revealed. What God revealed has been transmitted to us in writing (sacred Scripture) and orally (Tradition). But this faith once delivered to the saints must be authentically interpreted and guarded by the living teaching authority of the Church (Magisterium), that is by the Pope and the Bishops in communion with him. Let us love living in the Church and pray for our leaders.

Episode 48 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- The Ways of Brother Lawrence-Focusing on God

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Episode 47 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- The Ways of Br Lawrence-Magnanimity and Holiness

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Episode 46 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- The Ways of Br Lawrence-Christ’s Own Disposition of Soul

If God gave us a choice to live longer or to go to heaven, what should we choose?

Br Lawrence was once asked this question. He had a burning love of God. He experienced in the life something very close to heaven itself. He also faced terrible trials of an interior kind especially. His response might surprise us. He said that he would leave this decision up to God.

Episode 45 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- Ways of Br Lawrence-Union with God’s Will

What was most important to Br Lawrence?

The will of God. His biographer says that Br Lawrence had so much been transformed by divine love that it was as if his own will had been replaced by God's will. Love took him out of himself. Love made Him live in God. That love made God's will and God's wishes the most important aspect of his life.

Episode 44 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- The Ways of Brother Lawrence-Love is Key to Practice

Is loving God the secret to the practice of the presence of God?

Yes. Even more than the use of the understanding, the activity of love makes us live in God's presence. Living in His presence is not so much a matter of thinking and considering as it is of loving and willing what God wills. We can live in the presence of God by seeking to everything for love of Him and making a good effort to avoid what displeases God.

Episode 43 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- The Ways of Brother Lawrence-Growth in Prayer and Simplicity

Did Br Lawrence's prayer change over time?

Yes. He began by making many and various acts of the presence of God. He gradually began to live more simply in God's presence. His whole day became one simple act of being with God and in conversation with Him.