December 3

Chapter 52

The Rule of Benedict December 3

from August:

At St. Gregory's Abbey I witnessed the value of a space being set aside as the oratory in which nothing but prayer was done.  The church stands soaked in the prayers of the resident community.  For more than 70 years the monks have gathered 7 times a day to chant the Psalms, celebrate daily Eucharist, light incense and candles, read the Scriptures, and sit in silence within the wooden walls of the abbey church.

Although we may not be able to set aside a place in our home as an oratory in which nothing else is done or kept, I know that to live a life of prayer within our own walls has a tangible, lasting effect on us and on all who visit.  May we seek to inhabit such spaces.