What may appear to be obstacles to prayer,
may, in fact, be a never ending stream of prayer,
when the daily sacrifices are offered to Him.
The daily life of most men and women, who are
raising a family, does not have to constitute
an obstacle to the life of prayer, of neccesity.
“
Orare et labore.” Pray and Labor.
[The words of St. Benedict - who adapted eastern monasticism,
for the West, in his Benedictine rules.]
Orare et labore, called monks and nuns to labor and to pray -
which is also the life of most, who live ‘in the world’ - as it used to be phrased.
In raising a family, many sacrifices are called for,
over the years. Awake, during the night, with a
child who is ill, having to function - on a day when
one does not feel well. The joys of raising a family
are also accompanied by responsiblity and considerable labor.
Yet, a while back, while I was considering the
word ‘sacrifice’ - it suddenly came to me what
the word meant. It had to come from the Latin
‘
sacra facere’ - “to make sacred.”
Driving the long commute, each day, this
time is made sacred - because a father or
a mother is working outside the home, to
support their family. The patience and the
alertness called for, in the commute to
or from one’s place of daily occupation,
may be made sacred, as well. It is a
sacrifice - all of this driving to and fro.
*
to give water, to the donkey who made the*
trip possible. Joseph must have been ready
to fall on his nose, with fatigue. But it was
his obligation, to care for the tired donkey,
no matter how tired he was, himself.]
The fatigue, at the end of a workday, is made sacred,
because the day entailed sacrifice - of time and
effort and care.
Doing several piles of laundry, is made sacred,
because it is a sacrifice of time, and energy - a loving thing to do,
to keep the members of the family in fresh, clean clothes.
Attending to an aged parent, is made sacred - for the sacrifices
this often entails.
“
Sacra facere.” Sacrifice. To make sacred.
And when we offer these sacrifices to the
God Who created us, this is prayer, too,
even when our minds are just plain tired.
Maybe He treasures these prayers, of His
sons and daughters, more than the prayers
that are said, when we are feeling rested
and at ease. I don’t know. But I think so.
reen12
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