Two things strike me about this prayer. One is its focus on the importance of community. There is no hint of exclusivity, but rather that "our common life" includes everyone in the world. The second is that it is a prayer never to forget how interconnected our lives are, implying that there is a danger that we will forget our dependence on others. In a culture that is constantly bombarding us with the message that we need to be concerned only with self-sufficiency, the fact that our very livelihood depends on others can be difficult to accept. Rugged individualism does not sit well with the notion that we need others just as much as they need us, so we sometimes forget or ignore or perhaps even scorn others whose work seems to be insignificant. In reality, however, failing to recognize the importance of other people and their work in our own lives can lead us to cut ourselves off from the wider world and to live in the illusion that the only thing that matters is what we do or say or think.
    In his Rule, St. Benedict recognizes the ease with which people can delude themselves with an exaggerated sense of self- importance. In Chapter 57, for instance, he says that any monk who is skilled at a certain craft should be made to stop practicing his craft if he proudly begins to think that his work is especially beneficial to the community. The point of this rule is not to stifle creativity, but rather to prevent the spirit of pride and self-assertion from turning into the even more harmful sin of thinking that others in the community are not as productive. Throughout the Rule, in fact, one can see how St. Benedict's arrangements are designed to foster a sense of community by warning against the myriad ways in which selfish behavior can cause us to forget others.
     One of the benefits of life in the monastery is the constant daily reminder that each person's job is necessary if things are to run smoothly. Phones need to be answered, guests greeted, meals prepared and served, dishes washed, laundry done, bells rung, liturgy organized. The list goes on and on. Still, as I go about my daily chores, it is sometimes easy for me to forget that my job is only one aspect of life as a whole, and it only really makes sense when the entire life of the community is taken into account. A perfect example of this can be seen in our corporate worship in church.
     More often than I would like to admit, my mind is not entirely focused on prayer. I may be chanting the right tunes and bowing at all the right moments, but any number of things could be distracting me from turning my heart towards God. Obviously this is not ideal, and I need to be continually trying to improve, but when such moments of absentmindedness do happen, I try to remember one small thing. By simply being in choir, singing the psalms and saying the prayers, I may be helping someone who is concentrating on prayer. In that sense, even my unfocused participation may be helping someone else. At another time, I might be praying fervently while others are struggling even to stay awake; but just by being there, they are providing encouragement for me to keep striving in prayer. Whatever the case, the fact is that when we gather as a community to worship, our mere presence and participation - whatever our level of concentration - means that our common worship, the focus of our common life, is strengthened.

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