Balance of Prayer and Work
Out of love of our Lord Jesus Christ, we must keep together the life of prayer … and the life of Sacred evangelical ministry for the greater glory of God and our greater sanctification and that of our neighbor. (OOCC, III, pp. 53-54)
Among the many struggles that an apostolic person faces in his life, there is one struggle that continues in his life. This is to keep the balance between prayer and work, both of which are essential to the effective accomplishment of the apostolate of Jesus. St. Vincent Pallotti had to cope with this struggle in his own life. For him, a well-combined life of prayer and evangelical ministry is essential to bringing about the glorification of God and the sanctification of the human person. He appeals to his followers to build up such a life because of love of Jesus. It is very difficult to achieve a full-fledged balance between prayer and work, because the diverse situations of life may not allow us to have such a balance. But a person can move towards achieving a reasonable amount of balance if he imitates Jesus in his life of prayer and work. If a person enters into his ministry with the spirit of Christ, he is able to bridge prayer and work in a proper manner. When this happens, he would be able to use prayer as a means to strengthen his apostolic endeavors and his apostolic work becomes a means to his perfection. Thus, prayer gives the apostle the inner courage and strength to cope with the difficulties of ministry and to persevere in it. On the other hand, the ministry he is engaged in becomes a stepping-stone to his holiness, because through it he is able to grow in love of God and of his neighbor. This is a life-long endeavor of an apostle. He can bring this about by living the spirit of Christ.
Am I able to keep a sense of balance between a life of prayer and a life of work? Do I realize the importance of achieving such a balance in my life? Am I more inclined to a life of prayer or a life of work? What do I need to do in order to bring a balance between the two? Do I learn from the spirit of Christ in this regard?
He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. (Jn. 15: 5)