The Practice of the Presence of Mary

REVISED EDITION AND REPUBLISHED ON THE FEAST OF SAINT PAUL, 2023!
This method of prayer, namely "the practice of the presence of God" taken from Carmelite Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, is not new. However, applying it to Mary is practically untrodden. A little over a year following my canonical novitiate, as a Discalced Carmelite nun, a priest from France came to preach our annual eight-day retreat; his chosen topic was Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection's maxims on the presence of God. Before he left, he gave each nun a single sheet of paper containing a list of ten ways to keep Our Lord present, using Brother Lawrence's technique outside of mental prayer, so that one may always remain in the spirit of prayer even in the most chaotic task of the day. I met an all-time low behind the enclosure of Carmel; the only One keeping me afloat was the Woman I had already become accustomed to loving even in the darkest of trials. "I have abandoned all particular forms of devotion, all prayer techniques. My only prayer practice is attention. I carry on a habitual, silent, and secret conversation with Mary that fills me with overwhelming joy."
Let us be Saints and martyrs for the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Christ the King and Our Lady of Fatima, FOR THIS IS THE AGE OF MARY."
She must increase; I must decrease!
~Mary's Secretary~