Weaving Prayer With Work

Today is the Memorial of St. Benedict whose legacy is his Rule for Monastic Life which has guided monks to sanctity for !,500 years. Fed up with the worldliness of his day, late 400's and early 500's, he left his student world and lived in a cave on Mt. Subiaco, Italy, for 3 years...His relationship with God grew and his reputation led others to seek his counsel.  He was asked to be the abbot of a monastery, but the monks could not take the asceticism he required of them.  They  tried to poison him twice.  Taking the hint, he left them and founded his own monasteries, the most notable being Monte Cassino, not too far from Rome.  His famous Rule emphasizes an inner relationship with God, supported by realistic and practical asceticism, with prayer, particularly the chanting of the Divine Office, as the foundation of a healthy relationship with God.
Not all of us are called to be monks, but living lives of simplicity strengthened by prayer, the Benedictine motto being "Orare et Laborare", prayer and work, is an option available to and doable by all. May we make this simple formula part of our daily lives.
Bro. Rene