Pray and Work

Ora et labora It comes from the Rule of St. Benedict, which he wrote as precepts to govern his monastic houses in the 6th century. Back in November, through a discussion I was having with my Father General, The Rt. Rev. Frederick Fick, MSJ., I learned what this maxim meant.

I used to think of it as a sort of motto. Colleges have mottoes."To seek to learn is to seek to serve," "The whole Bible for the Whole world." Businesses have mottos, Those catchy phrases that bring to mind their product or service. Sometime even churches have them, I used to think of ora et labora in that way. I wonder what St. Benedict was selling? What was he promoting? Can you imagine the protestant reformers proclaiming, "Ora et Labora!" instead of Sola Scriptura? The truth is that to us moderns (or post moderns) it doesn't sound very spiritual--well, maybe half. It's hard for us to distance ourselves from the materialism of our age. Religion has become an exclusively spiritual matter. What does work have to do with it?

Ever since the Garden of Eden, humanity's understanding of work has been darkened. It has become for us a "four letter word." We see only the curse of it, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread," and forget that before the fall Adam and Eve had work to do. Work is viewed as a necessary evil which most of us work hard to get out of. People spend most of their life, working hard and long, saving, investing, and planning so that when they reach a magic age, they will be able to retire. Some of us buy lottery tickets in hopes of graduating early. We even think of heaven sometimes in this way. When we get there we won't have to work any more. It will be like an eternal church service.

In thinking this way, we miss an important truth that St. Benedict was teaching, namely that work is an important part of spirituality. God created us that way. Over the years I have written many things reflecting on my life as a bi-vocational pastor. I have tried to be positive, but it was also a frustration. But after 21 years, if I had the opportunity to be "full-time" pastor, I would still find something to do with my hands, I would probably keep doing woodwork, in my spare time. What I came to realize this past fall, is that I'm really not bi-vocational after all. I am a full time pastor, who is also a woodworker. My work is also my service, my prayer. I have always been a Benedictine in my heart, even when I had other ideas of what I thought I should be doing. Most of my ideas came from traditional images of Pastoral ministry. I am not and have never been a traditional pastor.

Not only was I not understanding my own gifting, I was in reality neglecting, or even rejecting the gifts that God had given. I had thought that I would be a better parish priest if I didn't work an "outside" job. I would have lots of time to read heady books and write thoughtful and inspiring blog posts...I realize now that for some people that might be true. In my case it would not. By my work, I keep my feet firmly planted in the world where my parishioners

live. What I have learned is that there is a huge chasm affixed between the blue collar worker and the Gnostic spirituality of our day. The spirituality that says, "If you really want to be a good disciple, you have to pray and study the bible for hours a day, keep a journal, and attend church every time there is a service, and have a home bible study once a week--and don't forget service projects." By implication, a poor or lower middle class laborer who works 50-70 hrs per week, just to eek out his "hand to mouth" living, will never be as good a disciple of Jesus as the more privileged. St. Benedict's axiom reveals this for the myth that it is. We work, and we pray.

It has taken me 20 years but I am beginning to get it. It's humbling. It is also an incredible relief to know that I can be who I am, and, that God gave me the charism and the skill set I have, in full accordance with His purpose. With this realization my whole life comes into focus. It all makes sense. It doesn't mean that I don't have improvements to make. What it does mean is that God has given me everything necessary to be the best "me" possible. Work does not hinder the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit; work becomes the context of our sanctification. There is no dishonor, no shame in being a worker priest, rather I stand within a long line of worker priests and saints, who have had Ora et labora as their motto.