The Greatest Work

It’s unfortunate that the various habits in the Christian life are dissected and separated from each other. As i’ve reflected on my email more as to whether prayer is the most important work, I believe we have to do an additional work of integrating our various disciplines.

Truly the religious leaders of Jesus’ day read and studied Scripture. But what was it that caused them to betray their Maker? I think, in part, that it was due to a lack of communing with God. A lack of being swayed by his movements in the world.

We most certainly need to read the Bible. We need to study it and memorize it. But it must all be done in an attitude of prayer. Of seeking God’s face and submitting ourselves to his ways.

We most certainly need to evangelize and share the hope we have in Christ. But it must not be doe apart from a dependency on the Spirit’s work to give life to dead people.

We most certainly need to fast and give and serve. But these must not me done apart from fellowshipping with Christ through a constant posture of prayer.

To practice any of these disciplines without prayer influencing each of them is to run the risk of self-reliance and forgetfulness.

A beautiful example of this is the Benedictine Order. St. Benedict sought to remedy the tendency of the faithful to interpret the call of the Christian to be devoted to prayer and the sacraments…so much so that they denigrated work. I would encourage you to read his Order to see how he tried to bring these two realities together—our spiritual and physical lives. He worked really hard to show that we must pray while we work. Work is prayer. And prayer is work.