On Timeliness

I realized that I made a mistake with my dating yesterday and posted the reading from the Prologue from March 20th instead of the 21st. Indeed, it seems that with my migraine I was unable to keep up with what date it was. So I apologize to any of my readers who were confused by me posting yesterday - the 21st of March - a reading for the 20th of March. I was getting caught back up on my readings this yesterday and this morning, which is why this post is just a tad later than I typically like to post. Anyway, we are back to the Rule of St. Benedict for this one. Chapter 43:1-12

¹On hearing the signal for an hour of the divine office, the monk will immediately set aside what he has in hand and go with utmost speed, ²yet with gravity and without giving occasion for frivolity. ³Indeed, nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God.

⁴If at Vigils anyone comes after the “Glory be to the Father” of Psalm 94, which we wish, therefore, to be said quite deliberately and slowly, he is not to stand in his regular place in choir. ⁵He must take the last place of all, or one set apart by the abbot for such offenders, that they may be seen by him and by all, ⁶until they do penance by public satisfaction at the end of the Work of God. ⁷We have decided, therefore, that they ought to stand either in the last place or apart from the others so that the attention they attract will shame them into amending. ⁸Should they remain outside the oratory, there may be those who would return to bed and sleep, or, worse yet, settle down outside and engage in idle talk, thereby giving occasion to the Evil One (Eph 4:27; 1 Tim 5:14). ⁹They should come inside so that they will not lose everything and may amend in the future.

¹⁰At the day hours the same rule applies to anyone who comes after the opening verse and the “Glory be to the Father” of the first psalm following it: he is to stand in the last place. ¹¹Until he has made satisfaction, he is not to presume to join the choir of those praying the psalms, unless perhaps the abbot pardons him and grants an exception. ¹²Even in this case, the one at fault is still bound to satisfaction.(The Rule of St. Benedict 43:1-12)

 How often do we let time get away from us? How often do we let our busy schedules rule our lives? How often do we reply that we are too busy when someone requests a piece of our time?

Being Orthodox, we are supposed to have a prayer rule, but how often do we shirk our prayers because we perceive that we do not have enough time? The most basic Morning and Evening prayers take 5-10 minutes, but yet we say that we don't have the time it would take us to move through the drive-through line at our favorite coffee shop to instead pray? We can't spare a few minutes in the morning after waking up? We can't spare a few minutes before going to sleep?

We have busy lives. We have to get the kids up and feed them, then clothe them before getting them out the door and off to school. We have to feed and clothe ourselves before we go to work. Then we have to get our kids from school, drive home, start dinner, eat dinner, cleanup, make sure the kids did their homework, put the kids to bed, get little Suzy one last glass of water, watch an episode or two of our favorite show before we go to bed and doing it all over again tomorrow. Honestly, when are we supposed to find an extra 7.5 minutes to say just one prayer (I have an app that speaks the prayers as you read along - I checked the time)?

Our prayers don't have to be in front of our home altars with the candles lit and incense burning - though it is rather nice. We can pray while driving the kids to school. We can pray while we drive to work. We can pray during our breaks at work and during lunch. We can definitely pray before putting the children to bed - or ourselves.

The monks are to drop what they are doing when they hear the bells (or other signal) calling them to prayer - and perhaps it is easier for them since they do not live in the world. I;m not saying that we should pray all of the Hours and demand that everyone else respect that (though we do have religious freedom and protection, so if you and your spiritual father have decided it is good for you to pray all of the Hours then your workplace should respect that and allow you time to do so). But I am saying that we need to make sure that we find time - to make time - to pray.

Do we really need to our time in a drive-through waiting to get a cup of coffee brewed from over-roasted beans when we have a coffee pot at home that will save us time and money? Do we really need to be invested in the current season of multiple TV shows? Do we really need to bring our work home (if we're not salaried)?

Sure, we're busy creatures - but we make time for things that aren't important instead of making time for things that are important. Making time for God is important. Making time for our families and having a meaningful connection to them is important. Making time for our spiritual, mental, and physical health is important.

Are we making time for these things that our important to our lives, or are we making time for trivial pursuits?

Pray for me, a sinner.