The Leaven of the World
I’ve been reading a lot recently about religious life. For some reason, whenever I think of holiness one of the first things that comes to mind is the Carthusian monk praying the divine office. No one knows that he is there except for God. What is it about religious life that gives these people such a strong prayer life and closeness to God? Is it the cloistered lifestyle, or the diligent practice of prayer, or the silence observed at crucial points (if not all the time)? While I do think that all of these things help facilitate a growing relationship with our Lord, I don’t think that they are necessary in achieving holiness.
Take the religious view on work for example. Religious view work as a mix of penance and prayer. They are obedient to the Father and are glad to work. Just about every activity performed by our religious brothers and sisters is a form of prayer. Now, how hard would that be to integrate into the lives of us lay people? Probably not that hard if we could but be obedient. I have often found that money is not always a very strong motivator, but God sure is. I don’t get paid to do housework and give my wife a break, but if I am to reflect the love of Christ then I should sacrifice my own desires out of love. If you open your heart then you can find prayer in just about anything. There are so many opportunities to glorify God and to live as children of God, but how often to we take advantage of those opportunities?
Our religious brothers and sisters view themselves as the leaven of the world; when they sacrifice their own desires and are raised toward God then we all are raised. I certainly agree with this. I am so glad that our religious brothers and sisters are in perpetual prayer for our benefit. I also think that we are all called to be leaven. Whether religious, priest, or lay person, we should all take the world on our shoulders and lift it toward God. It is our duty and our calling.
