Work

While the primary work of a monk is prayer, it is also the case that St. Benedict expected his monks to engage in manual labor to provide for their needs. Over time, this desire for a balance of PRAYER and WORK became popularly known (in Latin) as ORA ET LABORA (Prayer and Work). The late Benedictine historian Fr. Terence Kardong once pointed out a common fallacy that many people relate regarding monks and our work. Namely, this is the belief that our motto is ORA ET LABORA.

In fact, Kardong wrote: "Ora et Labora" is found nowhere in the Rule of St. Benedict. Moreover, it appears nowhere in Benedictine history before the 19th century. The motto actually originates in a popular book on Benedictine life written by the German abbot, Maurus Wolter. So, it is hardly accurate to even call it the motto of the Benedictines. It cannot be denied, of course, that the Benedictines themselves have cheerfully plastered this motto on everything from their napkins to the carving above the front gate. So our friends (or enemies) can hardly be blamed for assuming that the slogan expresses something important about our monks and our monasteries. If the monks themselves have clasped this euphonious moniker to their bosoms, it must have a basis in reality. What is it?

St. Benedict does indeed make some comments about work in his Chapter 48. The text begins with another pithy saying: "Idleness is the devil's workshop."  Now there is no question that the followers of Benedict in the Middle Ages were good workers. Probably because they did observe a regular schedule, they accomplished considerable feats in the realm of agriculture, architecture and so forth. But the fundamental change was in attitude: The upper classes of that time looked on physical work as utterly degrading, but the Benedictines believed that hard work is ennobling. So they broke out of a sterile mindset that had corroded the ancient civilizations. But Benedict certainly did not think he was enunciating a new philosophy of work. His comments in Chapter 48 have to be taken in context to put them in the right perspective. It is also necessary to criticize the two-part motto Ora et Labora on the basis of Chapter 48. What we find there is really a three-part structure: Ora, Labora et Lectio. Benedict divides up the monastic day into three essential activities: prayer, labor and biblical study. A close study of his timetable indicates that about three hours were spent in church at the Divine Office; five hours were devoted to manual labor; and two or three hours were given over to biblical study. According to the seasons of the year, both natural and liturgical, this schedule was fine-tuned, but it is fixed in its three-part form. Thus, the forms of manual labor will vary by the needs and mission of the monastery, but always set within the equal balance of prayer and biblical study. 

At Subiaco Abbey, we monks engage in manual labor inside the monastery that many outside people will never see (ad intra, in Latin) and outside the monastery with service to others (ad extra, in Latin). Click on the links and learn more about the varying types of manual labor that we engage in to earn our keep and make sure we are not idle!!!