PRAYING before beginning a day’s work is a vital discipline that we must develop as Christians. We are servants of Jesus Christ, and so should offer up to God all of our actions as sacrifices. Including also all the adversity and struggles that we may face in carrying out our responsibilities.
By offering up our work and struggles, we can join our sufferings to Christ’s Passion. We offer them up to the Father as Jesus did to help in the conversion of sinners and sanctification of the world. This practice will also allow us to consider ourselves lucky to be able to suffer for Christ, just as the first disciples did in the book of Acts¹.
The Mission of the Body of Christ
The mission of the laity is to work in the world to bring about the Kingdom of God. The role of the priests and ministers of the Church is to provide us with guidance for our spiritual well-being. But their mission is mainly to enable us to have the strength and guidance to go out into the world and carry out God’s will. We interact daily with the world in our work, schools, clubs, etc. It is with our daily actions there that we should be evangelizing through example and instruction. Because “actions speak louder than words,” we should be praying before beginning to work to ask for God’s guidance and help.
As Philippine’s Bishops very eloquently put it in 2014:
“Many of you are called by the Lord to do service in the Church and for the Church,” they added. “Such is the case of lay liturgical ministers and catechists … Yet, your own specific task, and the special responsibility given to you by the Lord is to find your own sanctification in the world, and to sanctify the world and transform it so that this world becomes more and more God’s world, God’s kingdom, where his will is done as it is in heaven.”
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Offering our Work to God
It important that we offer to God all of our work and actions throughout our day. To help us offer up our work, the Church has provided the following prayer to help guide our thoughts and intentions in this act of consecration.
I pray that this practice of sacrificing our work to God may help you along your Road to Righteousness.
Prayer Before Beginning Work
Direct we beg you, O Lord, our actions by your holy inspirations, and grant that we may carry them out with your gracious assistance, that every prayer and work may always begin with you, and through you be happily ended.
Amen
Note:
¹ Acts 5:41
