Pope Leo shared a book, "The practice of the presence of God," as a key to understanding his spirituality. The Pope revealed his attitude before and during the vote was, "Everything is in the hands of God." The Pope indicated he will continue the tradition of papal press conferences during trips. The Pope reflected on his spirituality, emphasizing trust in God amidst challenges.
12 days ago
Pope Leo XIV recommended "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence during a press conference aboard the papal plane on December 2, 2025, returning from his first international trip to Turkey and Lebanon.1 2
The suggestion came in response to a journalist's question about understanding his personal spirituality, beyond St. Augustine's works.1
He described the book as a simple guide to surrendering one's life to God, allowing divine guidance amid challenges.2 4
Pope Leo shared that the book's spirituality has shaped him for many years, particularly during his time in Peru amid years of terrorism and unexpected calls to service.1 3
Reflecting on the conclave, he revealed a mindset of profound trust in God, saying he resigned himself to the outcome with a deep breath and the words, "here we go Lord, you’re in charge."2 4
This approach, he emphasized, is a message he shares universally, highlighting themes of discernment and reliance on divine will.1
Brother Lawrence, born Nicholas Herman, was a 17th-century French Carmelite friar who lived a humble life after serving as a soldier in the Thirty Years' War.2 3
Injured in battle, he endured lifelong pain but experienced a transformative vision of Christ as a young adult, leading him to join the Discalced Carmelites in Paris.4
He performed menial tasks like cooking for 100 people and repairing sandals, remaining virtually unknown until his death in 1691.1 2
"The Practice of the Presence of God" is a concise collection of about 30 pages, comprising letters and conversations compiled by Father Joseph de Beaufort shortly after Brother Lawrence's death.3 4
It teaches constant awareness of God's presence in everyday activities, blurring the line between work and prayer.2
Key insights include performing small tasks with love for God, as "he regards not the greatness of the work but the love with which it is performed," and finding tranquility in chaos, such as a busy kitchen, equivalent to kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament.1 3
The book, beloved by Catholics and Protestants alike, offers accessible spirituality focused on divine accompaniment in ordinary life.2 4
Pope Leo's endorsement underscores its relevance for modern challenges, echoing his own path of trust during the conclave and missionary work.1
Its short, practical nature has made it a spiritual classic, with free versions available online for wider access.3
By highlighting this text, Pope Leo provides insight into his leadership style, rooted in humble surrender and constant prayer.4
This revelation, just six months into his papacy, invites the faithful to explore similar practices amid global uncertainties.2
It also continues the tradition of papal press conferences, fostering personal connections during international travels.1
Examine how the Practice of the Presence of God shapes papal spirituality
The Practice of the Presence of God, a foundational devotion in Catholic spirituality, involves cultivating a constant awareness of God's nearness, both externally in creation and internally in the soul. This practice profoundly shapes papal spirituality by anchoring the pope's life and ministry in divine intimacy, fostering recollection, discernment, and service amid the demands of leadership. Drawing from Church teachings, it emphasizes God's immensity and indwelling presence, enabling popes to navigate their vocation with humility, hope, and fidelity to Christ's mission. As seen in the lives of recent pontiffs, this devotion transforms papal duties into acts of worship, ensuring that governance flows from union with God rather than mere human effort.
At its core, the Practice of the Presence of God rests on the theological truth that God is present everywhere by His essence due to His immensity, as affirmed in the Creed of St. Athanasius and councils like Lateran and Vatican I. This presence is not abstract but intimate: God dwells really and substantially in the souls of the just, appropriated to the Holy Spirit yet common to the Trinity. For popes, whose role embodies the Church's visible headship, this doctrine underscores that their authority derives from divine indwelling rather than personal power. The soul becomes a temple where God speaks to the conscience, hidden yet active, guiding decisions with a "voice that is in us but not of us".
Recollection, closely tied to this practice, means withdrawing the mind from earthly distractions to attend to God within. It is interior solitude where the soul is alone with God, essential for Christian perfection. Active recollection, achievable through ordinary grace and personal effort, involves habitually thinking of God's presence and perfections. Popes, immersed in global responsibilities, rely on this to maintain spiritual focus. Passive recollection, an infused grace, manifests God's presence more deeply, marking the onset of contemplation. This dual dynamic ensures papal spirituality is both disciplined and graced, preventing the isolation of high office from divine communion.
The practice permeates papal routines through acts of faith, adoration, humility, contrition, and petition, preparing the heart for mental prayer. Simple reflections like "The Lord is here" or "The Lord sees me" redirect distractions, while aspirations during conversations or duties keep the mind recollected. St. Francis de Sales describes how preserving this consciousness— not sensibly but in the mind's superior part where love reigns—imperceptibly increases union with God. Like honey lingering on the tongue or balm permeating cotton, it spreads sweetness, drawing the soul closer without fanfare.
In quietude, the will alone engages, "sucking the milk of that Gracious Presence" while other faculties rest. Our Lady's joy in feeling Christ in her womb, unseen yet real, exemplifies this; similarly, popes experience God's sweetness amid unseen trials, realizing presence through imparted peace. Pope Francis echoes St. John of the Cross: "Endeavour to remain always in the presence of God, either real, imaginative, or unitive, insofar as is permitted by your works". This continuity in prayer—amid eating, speaking, or acting—attaches the heart to God, expressing desire in daily life.
The Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, praised by popes for their efficacy, embed this practice systematically . St. Ignatius's method adapts to contemplative or active lives, coordinating meditations on truths that lead from sin's yoke to divine love. Popes like Pius XI and Pius XII commended it for freeing souls from errors and fostering abnegation . For papal spirituality, these exercises provide "stages" marking priestly progress, yielding light for knowing and fulfilling God's will.
Recent popes embody this practice through their Jesuit, Augustinian, or pastoral formations, blending it with ministry's cross. Pope Francis, a Jesuit, integrates Ignatian practicality: missionary zeal, community, and disciplined time management . His daily examen—self-reflection rooted in God's presence—sustains vocation amid activism . Influenced by St. Ignatius's call to "find God in all things," Francis views encounters as merciful caresses from Christ, birthing a "revolution" of responsive morality. His choice of name evokes St. Francis's mendicant poverty, witnessing Gospel truths simply, in rhetorical "poverty" that strips away excess for direct proclamation.
Pope John Paul II centered priestly life on God: adored in the Eucharist, invoked in liturgy, loved in the poor. He urged priests—and by extension, the papal office—to maintain this "sense of the presence of God" as the "primacy of the spiritual," orienting all activity . In addresses to clergy, he stressed a presbytery as a "cenacle" of genuine spirituality, sustained by prayer and reflection, lest pastoral work become "sterile activism". His teaching on the Good Shepherd ties episcopal ministry, including the papacy, to Christ's cross-shaped service, where presence ensures fidelity.
Pope Benedict XVI emphasized interior silence in seminary formation—and papal life—as essential for listening to God. Not absorbed in ceaseless work, the pope must preserve "interior recollection" for an "inner view of the whole," discerning essentials. Faith comes from hearing the living Word in Scripture, Church tradition, and community, requiring constant journeying with Christ. This aligns with the practice's call to bathe the soul in truth, replacing noise with consolation: "I only do the will of the One who sent Me".
Even Pope Leo XIV, in his 2025 address, inherits this legacy from predecessors like Francis, marked by "complete dedication," "abandonment to God," and "serene trust". He highlights the Risen Lord's guiding presence, urging docility to His "whisper of a gentle breeze"—a subtle awareness shaping hope-filled ministry. For the elderly and all, renewal comes from daily encounters in prayer and Mass, passing on lived faith, mirroring papal witness.
This practice transforms papal spirituality from administrative burden to participatory communion. It counters isolation by reminding that nothing severs God's operation save grave sin, fostering humility in leadership. Discernment, vital for popes, flows from recollection: avoiding multiplicity of occupations that dissipate the soul, as Father Faber warned against overcommitment. In controversy or suffering, it renews the inner self amid outer decay (2 Cor 4:16), enabling service as "signs of hope".
Ultimately, popes like those influenced by Ignatius or de Sales live as "heart-reading" witnesses to providence, guiding the Church through presence-driven prayer. This devotion ensures the papacy remains Christocentric, echoing the Good Shepherd's intimate care.
In summary, the Practice of the Presence of God infuses papal spirituality with divine immediacy, blending doctrine, devotion, and discernment. It equips popes to lead not as distant rulers but as recollected servants, ever united to the God who dwells within and oversees all.