Work
Labora
Using our bodies and minds to participate in sustaining and improving society and creation.
This is a Foundational Discipline of Urban Monastics.
Foundation
It is good for us to work. There was work in the garden before the fall. Our work is one of the primary ways that we participate in the broader society. Work helps us to provide for ourselves and others. It is good for us to use our bodies and minds in our work. Everywhere we go, we get to bring the aroma of Christ through the Holy Spirit. We are ambassadors of the God of Love with every movement of our bodies, every person listened to, and each kind word spoken. All of our work is both personal and communal.
The broader monastic motto has been prayer and work (ora et labora). It has always been important for monastics to work. This does not separate them from their primary vocation of prayer. Rather, it invites them to weave and infuse their work with prayer. When one learns how to pray while they work, they can pray without ceasing. This way of working invites us to live deeply embodied lives. Working is one of the most embodied things we regularly give ourselves to. In every task and interaction, you can pray, work, and love. These are very real ways that your work sustains and improves society and creation.
Work is a part of our Way of Life. You are invited to see your work as spiritual and to bring your work into harmony with our Way of Life.