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Often we may start our day chaotically, waking up late and rushing out of our house to get to work on time.
Or we may try to start our day in prayer, but don't schedule enough time and rush through prayer in order not to be late for work.
While sometimes our daily schedule is out of our control, typically we can adjust things or wake up earlier to prevent a hectic start to our day.
Creating space in our schedule
St. Francis de Sales highly encourages his reader in his Introduction to the Devout Life to create space in their schedule for silent prayer before heading off to work:
[T]ry to maintain silence for some brief space, and let your thoughts be transferred gradually from devotion to business, keeping alive the feelings and affections aroused in meditation as long as possible.
He then explains the importance of recollecting yourself before going to work by using an analogy:
Supposing some one to have received a precious porcelain vessel, filled with a most costly liquid, which he is going to carry home; how carefully he would go, not looking about, but watching steadfastly lest he trip or stumble, or lest he spill any of the contents of his vessel. Just so, after meditation, do not allow yourself forthwith to be distracted, but look straight before you.
St. Francis de Sales encourages this type of practice so that when we go about our business, we will be able to maintain a spirit of prayer throughout the day:
You should strive, too, to accustom yourself to go easily from prayer to all such occupations as your calling or position lawfully require of you, even although such occupations may seem uncongenial to the affections and thoughts just before forming part of your prayer. Thus the lawyer should be able to go from meditation to his pleading, the tradesman to his business, the mistress of a family to the cares of her household and her wifely duties, so calmly and gently as not to be in any way disturbed by so doing. In both you are fulfilling God’s Will, and you should be able to turn from one to the other in a devout and humble spirit.
Whenever possible, we should consider scheduling time in our busy schedule to spend in silent prayer.
