Saint Monica is a powerful witness to the essential activity of the Church called intercessory prayer. Sometimes I hear people say, “I guess all we can do now is pray,” as though prayer were simply a last resort that is unlikely to do anything. We are certainly obliged by charity to do everything we reasonably can to contribute to the building up of the Kingdom. We cannot forget, however, that the most important work and change is something only God can achieve. He is swayed by our prayers because it is His own Love and Holy Spirit that is alive and active within us when we pray.
Wednesday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time
One of the serious misunderstandings about the spiritual life is that it might somehow excuse from or substitute for real work. While it is true that the preaching of the Gospel must not be neglected so that other (even charitable) work can be done, the dignity of of the preacher does not excuse him from the mundane and necessary work of the common man. St. Paul made sure he continued working for his keep, lest we draw the conclusion that it is better not to work. Hard work has value not only in that it allows us to provide for ourselves, our family, and the poor, but also because it contributes to true humility. Not everyone has the same capacity for work, so we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others, but we should use our capital of life every day to the best of our ability. Work becomes a problem for our spiritual life when it is motivated by greed or ambition, but when it is motivated by our own needs, the needs of our community, and the needs of the poor, it is our God given duty.
Saint Dominic
The gift of faith makes us watchers. In the modern age, we have security devices, systems, and firms – we trust in professionals and protocols to keep us safe. While this is very good and practical because it enables us to go about our daily lives without constantly looking over our shoulder, we must never forget spiritual vigilance. We are sentinels, but the first thing we are keeping watch over is not the earthly city. We are watchers over the kingdom of God – a Kingdom (as Jesus reminds us) that is also, and most importantly, within us. When we pray, we are actively fulfilling our duty to keep watch. They eyes of faith enable us to know what is invisible – a kind of paradox of the Christian life. We are to become sentinels and watchers of the invisible. Setting the eyes of our heart upon the invisible God and eternity, we are better situated to warn our fellow brothers and sisters in humanity about the dangers they ignore because they aren’t looking. The vigilant Christian remembers. Remembering is a form of keeping watch for what is invisible. The vigilant Christian remembers constantly that he or she will be leaving this earthly existence behind and only their soul – which is also invisible – will appear before its Creator.