Practicing the Presence of God: Carmelite Recollection for Lay Souls

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The Carmelite way teaches us that holiness is not found only in silence and cloistered walls, but in the quiet offering of every moment to God. To practice the presence of God is to live as though every breath, every task, and every word is held within His loving gaze.

This is the essence of Carmelite recollection — a hidden life of prayer that transforms even the humblest household into a sanctuary of peace.

For lay souls, especially mothers and homemakers, this practice is not only possible — it is a path to sanctity right in the midst of daily duties.

Disclaimer: This post is not to give spiritual direction or advice, but to share some valuable resources that I’ve stumbled across to aid in my Carmelite journey and hope that it is helpful for you, too.

What it means to practice the presence of God

For many of us, we probably discovered this practice through the Carmelite Manual for Tertiaries or the little book by Brother Lawrence.

Or perhaps, through St. Teresa of Avila in her “Way of Perfection”.

“The exercise of the presence of God brings the soul to habitual recollection by which the supernatural life or life of faith develops in her with a singular rapidity. The soul becomes filled with the things of heaven and detached, from those of earth. She recalls all her senses from external things with so perfect a control that the eyes of the body close of themselves to things visible while those of the soul are enabled with a more penetrating gaze to contemplate the invisible. God in this manner takes possession of souls, that He may thereby raise them to supernatural contemplation.”

St. Teresa of Jesus, Way of perfection

In short, it is what she described as the prayer of recollection. One of the simplest ways to holiness is to “practice the presence of God” — to turn the heart continually toward the One who dwells within.

“One aid in developing a spirit of prayer is to walk in the Divine Presence. The Christian, made one with Christ in the membership of His Mystical Body, knows himself to be God’s child, dependent upon Him at each moment of the day and night…

“The child of God, then, knows himself to be always living under the all-seeing eye of Him Who gives existence to everything, and to Whom is responsible for all the actions of his life.

“For the spiritual man this will mean a consciousness of God, a desire to live in God and to find the adequate prayerful relationship with Him. Accordingly, he will want to cultivate the Divine Presence, will continually contact Him Who beckons him on to a marvelous destiny of everlasting glory; he will lift up his eyes to the heavens and see Who made all these things and drew them in order, form, and beauty.”

— Gabriel Diefenbach, O.F.M., Cap. “Common Mystic Prayer”

It is not a complicated prayer or a lofty meditation. Rather, it is a loving attention; an interior glance toward God amid the ordinary. Whether peeling potatoes, mending clothes, or comforting a child, Brother Lawrence found that “the time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer.”

This is the heart of Carmelite spirituality: that God is truly present in the soul in a state of grace, and we may live in communion with Him at all times.

No. 51 from the Manual for Carmelite Tertiaries states

“They should also endeavor to apply themselves earnestly to the practice of the presence of God, especially by the frequent use of ejaculatory prayers”.

“If you accustom yourselves to walk in the presence of God, Jesus will never leave you; He will help you bear all your troubles; in fact, you will everywhere find this faithful consoler. Do you imagine it a slight thing to have such a friend forever beside you?”

St. Teresa of jesus, way of perfection

The Carmelite Gift of Recollection

St. Teresa of Avila spoke often of recollection — the gathering of the soul inward toward God. In her Way of Perfection, she describes it as a turning of the gaze from outward distractions to the interior “little heaven” where the Trinity dwells within the baptized soul in a state of grace.

This recollection is not an escape from the world but a way of living from the center. It allows the soul to rest in God even while hands are busy and voices surround us.

For those living in the world: parents, workers, caregivers, etc. — this practice becomes a gentle rhythm of returning inward, even for just a moment, to dwell with Him who loves us.

Another devout reading is the book, “God Within Us” by Fr. Raoul Plus, S.J. This is known as the most popular of all Father Plus’ works. This book explains an often forgotten doctrine of faith — the Divine Indwelling of the Holy God living in the soul in sanctifying grace.

One of my favorite Carmelites, Sr. Elizabeth of the Trinity shares this lovely inspiration:

“I have found heaven on earth, since heaven is God, and God is in my soul.”

– Sr. elizabeth of the trinity

Practicing Recollection in the Lay Life

You don’t need long hours of silence to live recollectedly. In fact, for us mothers, moments of complete silence are few and far between. But we can still stay in God’s presence amongst our daily duties.

Here are just a few ways to begin practicing the presence of God in daily life:

1. Begin the day with interior silence. Before rising, offer your day to God and ask for the grace to remain aware of His presence. This is so important that I make sure I get up early to at least have a few moments alone before the children wake up.
2. Say short prayers during work. Simple ejaculatory prayers like “Jesus, I trust in You” or “My God, I love You” can sanctify even mundane moments.
3. Pause before each new task. Offer it for love of God, uniting it in union with Christ.
4. Keep small reminders nearby. A holy image in the kitchen, a crucifix above the sink, or wearing the Brown Scapular can draw the heart heavenward.
5. Practice little silences. Turn off unnecessary noise and distractions. Let moments of quiet become opportunities for inner prayer.
6. Practice detachment.
7. Sanctify your daily duties and transform ordinary tasks into acts of love. Thus, keeping in the presence of God, folding laundry for your family becomes a hidden act of charity; cooking a meal becomes a prayer of thanksgiving, etc.

These small recollections draw the soul gently back to its center — to the loving gaze of God that never leaves us.

St. John of the Cross reminds us that to attain to a close union with God, we must be detached from all. He says:

“It is supreme ignorance for anyone to think he can ever attain to the high state of union with God before he casts away from him the desire for natural things, and of supernatural also, so far as it concerns self-love. ‘Every one of you that does not renounce all that he possesses cannot be my disciple.’

Moreover, certain habits of voluntary imperfection impede the progress of the soul:

These habitual imperfections are, for instance, much talking, certain attachments which we never resolve to break through — such as to individuals, to a book or a cell, to a particular food, to certain society, the satisfaction of one’s taste, science, news and such things. Every one of these, if the soul is attached and habituated to them, retards growth and progress in goodness.”

– St. John of the Cross

“One must become accustomed to nourish one’s soul with a simple and loving gaze at God and at Our Lord Jesus Christ; and to gain this end it must be gently separated from discourses, reasoning, and the multitude of affections, so as to keep it in simplicity, respect and attention, and to bring it thus ever nearer God, its single sovereign good, its first principle and its last end.”

— Bossuet, “A Short and Simple Way to Practice the Prayer of Faith and the Simple Presence of God” (found in the Vade Mecum of the Tertiaries of Carmel)

The Fruits of Living in God’s Presence

As recollection deepens, the soul begins to experience an abiding peace, even in the midst of outward activity. The restless heart grows still and impatience softens into gentleness. All of our daily duties become an act of worship as we are united with Christ through them all.

The following is taken from “The Spiritual Life” by A. Tanquerey:

“It makes us carefully avoid sin. Who shall dare offend the majesty of God while realizing that God actually dwells within him, with His infinite holiness that cannot endure the least blemish, with His infinite justice obliging Him to punish the slightest fault, with His power to punish the guilty, above all with His goodness, forever seeking our love and fidelity!

“It stimulates our zeal for perfection. If a soldier fighting under the eyes of his commander is inspired to multiply his feats of valor, should we not be ready to undergo the most strenuous labors, to make the greatest efforts when conscious that not only does the eye of God watch us in our struggle, but that His victorious arm ever sustains us? Could we lag, when encouraged by the immortal Crown He holds out to us, and above all, by the greater love He bestows on us as a reward?

“What great trust does not this thought inspire in us! Whatever may be our trials, our temptations, our weariness, and our weakness, are we not assured of final victory, when we recall that He, Who is All-powerful, Whom nothing can resist, dwells within us and invests us with His power? Doubtless, we may sustain partial reverses and experience excruciating anguish, yet we are certain that, supported by Him, we shall conquer, and that even our crosses will but make us grow in God’s love and multiply our merits.

“Lastly, what a joy for us is the thought that He Who is the Joy of the Elect, and Whom we shall see one day face to face, is even now our portion, Whose presence and conversation we may enjoy all day long! the knowledge and the habitual thought of God are, therefore, most sanctifying. The same is true of the knowledge of self.”

A domestic Carmel

In this way, the Christian home becomes a domestic Carmel — a place where God is loved and remembered in the ordinary rhythm of family life. Every mother, every lay soul, is invited to this hidden life of contemplation in the midst of activity.

For Third Order Carmelites and for all who feel drawn to this spiritual path, recollection is the doorway to deeper intimacy with God. Through fidelity to prayer, simplicity, and quiet love, the soul learns to rest in His indwelling presence.