Ora et Labora

Its not often that I come up with a Latin phrase, but "ora et labora" is one worth knowing. It means "prayer and work" in English and it is the motto of those monastic orders that follow the rule of St. Benedict.

I was away last week for a time of prayer and work. I went on retreat on a beautiful farm north of Kingston. Friends have offered a bed and breakfast and retreat on this property for years and I have gone there before for the same purpose. They are good at respecting my need for solitude and their own faith allows them to be sympathetic to my goals.

For a long time they have wanted to build a small cabin as a place for prayer and solitude situated back in the cedars and pines at one end of the property. I offered to work with Bill on this project in part of each day, which he decided was a good idea. Each afternoon we spent a few hours building the base for a small log cabin. We put together the frame using cedar and spruce cut and milled on the property. The floor boards are pine, also taken from the surrounding bush. During the next few weeks he will fell cedar trees to use as the logs for the walls. Perhaps next year I will sleep in this structure, placed close to a tumbling stream, rather than in the farmhouse.

The quiet time for reading and prayer was meaningful, as always. So was the physical work, so unlike what I do from day to day. God was present in both experiences, prayer and work.