Most of us have breaks during the work day. Perhaps we have a coffee when we first get to work. We then have lunch some time in the middle of the day. Most of us will have another cup of coffee in the afternoon. What if these times could be about more than mental and physical rest? What if they could also be spiritual rest?
The tradition of fixed-hour prayer developed around the city bells that marked time in the work day of the early Church. These bells rang at 9 a.m. 12 p.m. 3 p. m. and at the end of the work day. does this schedule sound familiar? Here I will not go into the particulars of fixed-hour prayer. There is already a lot written about it in other sources. What I do want to do here is to recommend that, when we get that cup of coffee or take our lunch break, we stop and pray. Currently, I am using a small pocket-sized Monastic Diurnal for these times (with some modifications and substitutions of my own). At the very least, we could say the Lord's prayer and spend a few seconds in silence.
Prayer was never meant to be something that we did for ten minutes or so in the morning. It was meant to be a lifestyle. Taking a few minutes here and there during the day for prayer can help us live a life much more centered in Christ.
