Work

I've been having an email conversation with one of the Community Guardians, and something he said got me thinking. He said that the Rule of St Benedict states that prayer is our real work, and everything that we do in between is like a pause in our work - a breath, as it were. I like this. I guess that's what is meant by the Benedictine motto of Ora et labora - work and/is prayer. According to my sketchy Latin (and some reading I've done!) the et can be read as either and or is - so it can be interpreted "prayer is work" and "pray and work". I have once or twice heard this from other Benedictines as Ora et labora et labora et labora....!

What has made me think is the concept that prayer is my work and everything else I do in between becomes part of that prayer. Gives a whole new way of thinking about both health and safety and being a wife and mum!