Laborare est Orare
To work is to Pray
motto of the Benedictine Order
The bell rings again; free time is concluded. There is work yet to be done in this monastic day. Quietly, residents of the monastery go back to the chores that have been assigned....
"Whatsoever good work you undertake, pray earnestly to God that He will enable you to bring it to a successful conclusion." The Rule of St. Benedict
"He who labors as he prays lifts his heart to God with his hands." St. Bernard
"We must try to converse with God in little ways while we do our work... we should purely and simply reveal our hearts as the words come to us." Brother Lawrence
"I love Him while I ply my needle..." Elizabeth of the Trinity"Labor, as well as fasting, serves to mortify and subdue the flesh. Provided the labor you undertake contributes to the glory of God and your own welfare, I would prefer that you should suffer the pain of labor rather than that of fasting." St. Francis de Sales
"I find a heaven in the midst of saucepans and brooms." St. Stanislaus Kostka
"You will become a saint by complying exactly with your daily duties." St. Mary Joseph Rossello
"Work done with impetuosity and precipitation is never done well; we must make haste slowly.... Accept all the duties that come your way peacefully, taking them in order one by one. St. Francis de Sales
"Your heart to God and your hands to work." St. Mary Joseph Rossello "During the greater part of His life Jesus shared the condition of the vast majority of human beings: a daily life spent without evident greatness, a life of manual labor." Catechism of the Catholic Church #531
"Each small task of everyday life is part of the total harmony of the universe." St. Therese of Lisieux
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