During a number of past weeks I have been sharing thoughts about how we might Practice the Presence of God, which is critical for true spiritual growth.  We should never forget that the spiritual growth of each member contributes to the vibrancy of the parish. Someone once said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. One mighty easily say that a parish is only as vibrant as its weakest member. I say this to encourage each and every member to strive to grow spiritually since the synergy that results from all members striving to be holy makes the parish vibrant. Each of us does have a responsibility to make our community as spiritually strong as possible.

So the key to this is each person attempting to Practice the Presence of God. The presence of God, as we have seen, is supported and made possible in a number of different ways. One way, spiritual writers suggest, is by Praying While You Work.

St. Basil, when he speaks of what modern writers call “private prayer” describes the prayer of the monk during his time of work. This prayer consists partly of Psalms, partly of the monk’s own simple and spontaneous words – or wordless acts – directed to God.

While one’s hands are busy with their tasks, we may praise God with the tongue, our work we can fulfill the duty of prayer, giving thanks to him who has granted strength to our hands for performing our tasks, and cleverness to our minds for acquiring knowledge.

A person once asked a house painter if he enjoyed his work. “Not always,” he replied, “it can get very boring, but I have become so skilled at what I do, I can spend much of my time in prayer.” Like the monks while at work, he had found a way to practice God’s presence on the job.