Prayer and Work (Ora et Labora)
April 24, 2010 3 Comments
Ora et Labora is a Benedictine Motto. When I was little, I didn’t fully grasp the full meaning of it, at least not by my heart. I either pray or work instead of pray AND work, and most of the time I don’t pray at all. I met a very prayerful Baptist in my first year college, and he’s very talented. He has lots of potentials. He told me that before he works on his projects, he prays first. I laughed at the thought. I must admit, it sounded a bit weird to me. For a Catholic it shouldn’t sound absurd, but it did to me because it’s honestly the first time I heard of it (probably because I wasn’t practicing Catholic back then). It’s not my habit to pray actually, so it’s not that I intend not to pray, I just forget to pray. Now, I’m beginning to practice praying and working at the same time, and it works. I am more productive than I have ever been. I love the kind of work I have now, and I thank God for that. Sometimes I run out of concepts, but this time whenever I do, I pray to God, and almost instantly, the ideas rush in my head like a tidal wave. Now I know what St. Benedict meant when he said prayer and work.
Domain of Thoughts 
I do the same thing when presented with a computer problem. Sometimes I’ll knock my head against a wall, for a while first, but when (not if) that doesn’t work, I stop, pray a bit, and ask a saint to intercede for me with the solution (which saint depends on how serious the problem).
Benedict, I think, meant that everything we do in our lives should be done with prayer. So whether you’re out shopping at the Greenbelt, or working on a project at home or work, or just walking down the street, you should pray, thereby keeping God at the forefront of your thoughts. That way, you will be more charitable in your interaction with others.
I pray God continue blessing you, Amen
Thank you. I pray the same thing for you. Amen.