Dedication to the Work of God ...by Sr. Monika

Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “Prayer is the mortar that holds our house together.” Walter Burghardt said, quoting someone else, “Contemplation is a long, loving look at the real.” St. Paul said, “Pray always.” Teresa of Avila suggested that missing prayer is a mortal sin! And St. Benedict, a model of moderation, said, “Prefer nothing to the Opus Dei (e.i. the Work of God, referring to the Divine Office.) That’s a pretty strong statement given St. Benedict’s usually mild words.

What does it mean to prefer nothing to the Work of God? Does it mean I have to like the obligation to pray? I don’t think so given how many times I have dragged myself to Evening Praise only because I promised to. Does it mean I can expect a “mountain top” experience every time I pray? I don’t think so, given how my daily prayer can sometimes be very unexciting. Does it mean that prayer, especially the Work of God, comes before anything else I might choose? Yes, I think so.

Monastic life provides regular opportunities within the daily horarium (schedule) for the Work of God. Any life style can be devoted to cherishing the most important things. In monastic life it is relatively easy to participate in the Work of God since it is part of the daily routine. We are very blessed in this aspect of monastic life and I thank God every day that my life is structured with prayer in a central place.

And we show up day in and day out, letting the wisdom of the psalmody. canticles and readings seep into our beings. The key is to show up. It does no good for me if I am physically not present. It also does no good for me if I am preoccupied or otherwise not present to the Work of God. Every day I have the privilege of being at, and actively participating in, the Work of God. What could be better than that? And we welcome anyone who comes to the monastery to enter into our world as we together attend to the Work of God.

The Books of Praise we created have gone through several iterations and revisions. We have developed an easy book to use with language that is appropriate to our time and place. It is a work of love that has taken years. We hear from our guests their appreciation for our Books of Praise. We have a relaxed, rather slow way of praying during the Work of God to help us be present to every word. We practice chanting and singing. We take our Work of God seriously.

I hope you, too, find some way to pray regularly, for your soul’s nourishment and for your relationship with God, Holy Mystery. Dedication to prayer, and for us in the monastery to the Work of God, carries us forward to the day we sing praises in eternity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  • Comment posted by Janice Ariza on December 26, 2024 at 9:41AM (45 days ago)

    Dear Sr. Monika,
    I love how you wrote, "letting the wisdom of the psalmody. canticles and readings seep into our beings". To receive from God these needed times to set aside out of the day. Thank you for this beautiful insight and encouragement to focus on what is truly important.

  • Comment posted by Sister Monika on December 20, 2024 at 4:18PM (51 days ago)

    Thanks, S. Julian.💚

  • Comment posted by Nancy on December 20, 2024 at 12:14PM (51 days ago)


    Sometimes the Work of God is
    bathing the baby
    singing a lullaby
    helping with math homework
    cooking dinner
    doing dishes
    playing Monopoly as a family
    just saying Thank You right before eyes close and sleepy dreams enfold you

  • Comment posted by Sr. Lucy M Wynkoop on December 20, 2024 at 9:24AM (51 days ago)

    S Monika, I appreciated how you spoke of the most important part of our day as the Divine Office and the ways you indicated a desire to be at prayer and sometimes a need to bring yourself (ourselves) to prayer even when we are tired.

  • Comment posted by Sr Julian on December 20, 2024 at 8:35AM (51 days ago)

    Sr Monika, thank you for sharing an authentic glimpse into our Work of God. We bring our very human selves to the Liturgy of the Hours, and offer our Praise as wholly as we are able. Our trust and faith tells us that God is glorified in our humble ways.

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