By Sharon Campbell Rayment – Special to the Sydenham Current
Brother Lawrence was a Carmelite monk who wrote a book called, “Practicing the Presence of God”.
He was the dishwasher in the monastery.
Yet he knew how to pray as Paul has taught us, “to pray without ceasing”.
How did he do this?
Isn’t it impossible to pray without ceasing?
Brother Lawrence was able to do this because he tuned-in to the presence of God even in the midst of his routine chores.
He did not sit for hours on a pillow to find peace.
He found it in every moment. In every breath.
Prayer was not separate from life for as the Benedictine monks stated, “Praying can never be set apart from the rest of life, it is the life itself.”
It’s as simple as taking a breath to refocus.
And then listen to God.
“with the ear of the heart”.
The heart has neurons similar to the brain and influences your thoughts and emotions.
Breathing in harmony with your heart helps you to feel more at ease and achieve a poised state for clarity and clear thinking connected to the Presence of God.
As you take these 3 deep breaths focus your attention on your heart.
Being fully present in taking these breaths and focusing on your heart will put you in a positive rhythm of coherence.
When the heart is in a positive rhythm coherence you perform at your best, feel confident, and connected to the Divine Presence calm, focused, and grounded.
In the book, “The Rule of Benedict”, Esther de Waal states, “To listen closely, with every fibre of our being, at every moment of the day, is one of the most difficult things in the world, and yet it is essential if we mean to find the God whom we are seeking.”
This means that the point of reference in my life will always be the presence of God, to whom I listen and respond with a yes that comes not from fear but from that love.
A love that Brother Lawrence knew was experiencing God, recognizing the Sacred in every moment, even in the mundane.
In our chaotic lives we need to intentionally do this frequently throughout our day to reorient ourselves to joy, inner peace, and love.
Try every hour to can gain Awareness, Pause, and Breathe in the Essence of Life recognizing the Presence of God.
Until next time many blessings, Sharon
