GROW AS A DISCIPLE
When the needs of ministry became overwhelming, the Apostles did not say they would sleep less or pray less in order to have more time to serve others. Instead, they appointed leaders from the community to help so they could continue to devote themselves to prayer and preaching. This reminds me of a story I read about Saint Teresa of Calcutta, in which the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity asked to be excused from the mandatory daily Holy Hour because the needs of the poor were so overwhelming. Saint Teresa is said to have responded that the sisters should then spend not one, but two hours in prayer each day. She knew that the foundation of a life of service was a life of prayer. We are asked in all that we do to rely not on our own abilities, but to humbly recognize that all we have to give comes from God.
GO EVANGELIZE
The cornerstone of our lives – the piece that gives strength to everything else that grows within us – is our relationship with God. The works of our vocation are meant to flow from that relationship. And so, coming to know Jesus through prayer is at the core of serving others. In my vocation as a wife and mother, I sometimes get consumed in completing tasks and only realize at the end of the day that I have not prayed. But even Christ, the Son of God, tells us in the Gospel that “the Father who dwells in me is doing his works.” Life in the Trinity means that the love of the Father flows through the Son. If Jesus does not rely on his own being to preach and serve, I certainly cannot respond to God’s call to love my family apart from him. As we complete the daily tasks of our vocations, we must remember that the ultimate call of a life of holiness is to allow God’s love to flow forth through us.
PRAY
This week, consider how you can develop or strengthen a habit of prayer as the first act of your day. You might be able to pray in silence, or you might choose to incorporate prayer into the activity of your morning. However, you are able to establish this routine, be intentional about how you recognize prayer as the cornerstone of all that you do.
By The Faithful Disciple