THE
P RTAL
June 2017
Page 19
Laborare est orare
Orare est laborare
Benedictine Spirituality by Fr David Mawson
A s the
students leave the chapel of Lincoln Theological College they can see, inscribed in the
stonework over the doors, the Latin words “LABORARE EST ORARE” – “To work is to pray”. It is a
constant reminder to them and to us that we do not leave our spiritual lives behind us in church, or in the
sanctuary, when the liturgy is over.
The words remind us that
all aspects of our lives are part
of our spiritual lives. We are
nothing but hollow shells, mere
hypocrites, mere play-actors,
if our worship, our praise, our
prayer, our Christian fellowship,
is limited to that part of our
lives which we spend in church
in formal worship.
All this is very familiar and I
am sure that none of us finds it
new or surprising in any way.
We accept it as part of our way
of life and an integral part of
our understanding of what it
means to be a practising Christian.
It reflects our belief that creation is good and that
we God’s partners in the world. The world is not
something to be despised or shunned as evil. It is good
because it is God’s creation and a reflection of God’s
glory and design. I am reminded of Brother Lawrence
who felt closer to God at the kitchen sink than he did
in the chapel!
But that door of Lincoln Theological College Chapel
has another side to it, and that other side also has a
Latin inscription. They are the same Latin words, but
this time written the other way round: “ORARE EST
LABORARE” – “To pray is to work”. And this, in some
ways, is more difficult to come to terms with.
into our church selves when we
come to worship. We are the
same people as we were outside.
We still have the same fears,
the same anxieties, the same
joys and frustrations, the same
sorrows and sins as we had then.
We need to remember that we
are bringing them in with us and
be prepared to acknowledge that
they exist.
We need to come together to
pray, to share our praises, to
share our sorrows, our concerns.
I have often been told by
people who do not come to church that it is possible
to be a perfectly good Christian without going to
church. But we need the help and support of our fellow
worshippers. A burning coal that is removed from the
fire soon becomes cold, lifeless and dull – but put it
back in the fire and it is soon hot and glowing again.
We need the warmth of the Christian community to
keep us alive and burning.
But “To pray is to work” has an even more compelling
ring to it. Praying is part of our work as Christians. It
is a duty, but one we ought to delight in carrying out.
If we really believe in an all-powerful, all-loving God
who has created and redeemed us – how can we fail to
fall on our knees before him in praise and worship for
his glorious majesty, in sorrow for our sins, in thanks
Like the inscription “To work is to pray” it meant that for his grace – the forgiveness and redemption he offers
what goes on inside the chapel cannot be separated us, in intercession for those things which concern us?
from what goes on outside. Just as we must take our
It is our WORK as Christians to worship God. To
Christian faith out with us and cannot leave it behind,
so when we come into church we cannot leave the rest offer him anything less than the best in our work is to
offer him shoddy workmanship – to insult him with
of our lives outside.
our second best – and I’m sure that none of us would
We cannot take off our everyday selves and change wish to do that.