I spent 13 years in the Discalced Carmelite monastic order, which traces its origins to hermits living on Mt. Carmel in the 13th century. As is the case with most religious orders, the Discalced Carmelites prayed together at least six times a day on a regular schedule, using Latin names for the hours. These were also known as Canonical hours, because they have been used by all orders in the Roman Catholic Church for many centuries.

As our Muslim friends have so ably demonstrated, prayer can also provide the framework for secular life, including busy workdays. Inspired by what I learned in the monastery and from the example of Muslims, I adapted the canonical hours to my spiritual practices.

Here is the structure of ancient and universal canonical hours:

6:00 AM Lauds (Morning Prayer): The morning begins with praise.

9:00 AM Terce (The Third Hour):The community pauses in its work to remember God.

12:00 PM Sext (The Sixth Hour): The community prays before the noon meal.

3:00 PM None (The Ninth Hour): Mid afternoon prayer.

6:00 PM Vespers (Evening Prayer): Praise and thanksgiving as the day ends.

Bedtime Compline: The community prepares for sleep in peace.

Prayer Can Provide a Framework For Divine Order in Today’s Fast-Paced Secular Lives

Following the intent and inspiration of the canonical hours, here is my version of prayers for a contemporary workday:

As I rise I set my intention for the day. I will live fully in peace and with compassion.

As I begin my work, I bless my space and my tools. I pray that all my work today contribute to the good of all those I meet and brings me the resources I need for my life.

I pause for lunch and recall to mind the presence of the divine. I nurture myself with material and spiritual food.

During an afternoon break, I rededicate myself to doing well by doing good.

As I prepare for the evening, I give thanks for events of the day.

As I prepare for bed, I reflect on my actions of the day and their alignment with my true nature.

When I was in the religious order, I followed these prayers every day without fail. It’s not so easy to remember to stop for prayer in the contemporary day, but it’s definitely doable and rewarding. When I first adapted the hours, I wrote prayers and quotes on file cards that I could carry with me throughout the day. They helped me focus and get grounded at those times when I wished to pray and meditate.

I am now returning to this prayer practice, using as a mantra the Hebrew word for peace, which is “shalom.” This means to pause from work for a few minutes, breathe in on the first syllable, “shal” and breathe out on the “om.” I repeat the practice several times, then center into silence.

How Can You Build Your Workday Around Prayer ?

What are your thoughts?

How do you weave moments of prayer into your work day?

What can you learn from the prayer life of religious orders?

We welcome your thoughts and questions.

Many blessings to you,

John Sullivan

John Sullivan was resource director of the first major directory of spirituality and work resources, published by Spirit of Health! In 1995. With his wife Pat, he is the co-founder of the Spirit and Work Resource Center, www.spiritandworkresourcecenter.com.

The original Prayer of St. Francis is posted in many cubicles and kept in many desk drawers.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Hatred, love and every other element of the prayer of St. Francis shows up at work today.

Hatred shows up in not just in physical violence or screaming hatred, but also in all ways we can harm others through our work. Racial, sexual and other harassment or discrimination are definitely forms of hatred. So are rudeness and fraud. Theft. Lying about a product or service’s value. Any types of lies.

Hatred also extends to deliberate un-caring, which includes carelessness or indifference. Or helping others commit fraud, waste or abuse.

Obviously, we can’t give our love at work the way we would a child or spouse or close friend, but we can love through our work by doing a task carefully — as if we were doing it for our beloved. We can love by blessings our tasks and bringing all our consciousness to the work.

Being kind an compassionate to vendors, bosses and colleagues is a powerful way to love through work. So is confronting fraud, waste and abuse because we care more about the well-being of others than we fear retaliation for speaking truth to power.

In 2006, my husband John and I taught a class on spirituality and work, using the Prayer of St. Francis as a starting point or touchstone for making our work our prayer, our prayer our work.

Here’s our prayer for today’s workplace realities, based on the Prayer of St. Francis.

Make me an instrument of peace at work.

Where there are indifference or hatred, let me sow compassion and love.

Where there are fraud, waste, and abuse, let me sow accountability and help restore justice.

Where there are stress and burnout, help me sow purpose and divine calm.

Where there are darkness and confusion, help me find wisdom and clear sight.

Where there is sadness, help me promote healing and joy.

May all my tasks be done in harmony with all Creation.

May I always work in balance, true to myself and my purpose, on the level with others, giving to others, loving others, as I give to and love myself.

May my workplace be sacred space, where peaceful, divine order ripples out from each small act that I do, right here, right now, and always.

How does the prayer of St. Francis inspire your own workday prayer?

How can you put it What’s your prayer for your current realities around work?

As always, many blessing, Pat McHenry Sullivan.

Please add your comments by clicking on “comments” below and to the right.

This doesn’t have to mean that we worship money. The dollar bill is filled with wisdom that can help us have a better relationship with money, including having more money and a more sustainable, just economy — even in a recession.

The wisdom of the dollar bill starts with the history of the vision that guided our country’s founding. Long before there was any hope of creating a United States, people dared to speak openly about their dream of human rights in countries that were then ruled by powerful kings who thought they ruled by divine right. That hope led to the more audacious hope of a successful revolution by American colonists against England, then the most powerful nation in the world.

Three of the original committee for drafting the Declaration of Independence — John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson — were appointed in July 1776 to develop a seal for the United States. Two committees and about six years later, Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Congress, and William Barton, a Philadelphia lawyer, designed the Great Seal which eventually became part of our currency. Since 1935, the Great Seal has appeared on the back of the dollar bill. Note that none of these men had any political power before doing what all of us can do: consider carefully what matters, speak out for what matters, do what matters.

Lesson from history: however powerless you now feel, initiate a new relationship with money with a vision. Don’t let current lack of knowledge about how you can fulfill this vision stop you. Dare to hold your vision and speak it, no matter how many people laugh at you, or even threaten you. Allow your passion for your vision to draw allies. As anthropologist Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Think of the front of the dollar bill as representing our business and legal relationship to money and the reverse as our spiritual, emotional and philosophical relationship to money.

The front side is loaded with representations that this bill is backed by the US, including the seal of the US Department of Treasury, the signatures of the Secretary of the US Treasury and the Treasurer of the United States, and a serial number.

On the back side of the bill, the delicate web of the front border is greatly expanded. On the left side of the bill is the reverse side of the Great Seal, which features a pyramid, symbol of strength and durability. Its unfinished state reminds many that our history is unfinished, not set in stone. Instead, we are guided by the Eye of Providence (God).

Over the eye is the Latin phrase, “Annuit Coeptis.” While the official US Treasury explanation of this phrase is that “He (God) has favored our undertakings,” referring to many instances of perceived Divine Providence as our government was formed, my Latin lover husband John says it can actually be translated as “”He/she has shown favor to the beginnings.” Underneath the eye is the phrase “novus ordo seclorum,” which translates to “a new order of the ages.” A newer translation, “a new order for the earth,” may be incorrect says John, but it does give some interesting food for environmental inspiration.

On the right side of the back of the dollar bill is the front of the Great Seal, featuring the uniquely American bald eagle (i.e., crownless). Originally, the eagle faced the claws in which he held arrows; after the horrors of World War II, Harry Truman had the seal redesigned to face the olive branch in the eagle’s other claw.

In the center of the bill is a huge word “ONE,” just below the phrase in smaller print, “In God we Trust.” During the Civil War, the words were added to some of our coins because of increased religious sentiment then. Almost a century later, a joint resolution of the 84th Congress made “In God we Trust,” the national motto of the United States. On October 1, 1957, the phrase first appeared on paper money.

Notice how the front and the back of the dollar bill are woven together of the same fibers, carrying the concept of the web from front to back, integrating the essential symbols on the back with the practical and legal information on the front.

What if we let the wisdom on the dollar bill guide us to a rich, sustainable and just economy — starting with our own individual relationship with money?

The first time I asked this question at a gathering of the Spirit and Work Resource Center [www.spiritandworkresourcecenter.com], participants focused on what it really means to be one with each other and one with God (or whatever name we use for the mystery of Creation). What does it mean to really trust that our truest, most eternal wisdom source can guide us through everyday, nitty gritty challenges?

Subsequent discussions in churches of different denominations or with friends led us to explore more of the history of the dollar bill, which led to new questions. What hope and caution, for instance, can we take from our rich history as a nation and our own personal histories — including the wisdom of elders who have already survived various economic challenges?

What new vision can we see if we anchor our financial and other practical questions in the wisdom of Providence? If we balance our need to take care of ourselves with our compassion? If we allow our practical financial planning and economic policy to flow from spiritual and other inspiration? If we see ourselves as part of a beautiful web connecting all of Creation: past, present and future?

What’s your guiding wisdom, right here, right now, from the dollar bill and its history? We welcome your comments here. Please, however, nothing esoteric, like Masonic or Illuminati symbols — just your thoughts and inspiration from taking a closer look at the ordinary, everyday dollar bill.

As always, bless your work to bring together your vision, values, work and money.

Pat McHenry Sullivan, with the increasing research and writing help of John Sullivan

You may never have taken formal, witnessed poverty vows as my husband John did at the age of 19 while he was in a Roman Catholic religious order, but it’s highly likely that you’ve taken some vows of poverty, intentional or otherwise.

Religious poverty vows are prayed over, even blessed. They aren’t a commitment to being homeless, starving or dressing in rags. They are a vow to simplicity, and an everyday willingness not to be attached to money or the things it could buy. The intent is to free members of any concerns about earning, saving or investing money (unless they are taking on financial roles on behalf of the community) so they are free to focus fully on spiritual life.

What a contrast religious vows are to the get-rich quick, greedy or otherwise definitely non-spiritual vows that drive so many novels, movies, and financial strategy! Often such vows lead to spiritual, emotional and/or financial impoverishment, as definitely was the case with many players in the subprime mortgage meltdown and other disasters.

My favorite example is Scarlett O’Hara, the self-centered heroine of Gone with the Wind, who during the Civil War became responsible for the survival of her family, home and even three former slaves, plus her rival and rival’s baby. After learning that the Yankees (or as they say where I grew up, damnyankees) have either destroyed or stolen anything edible except some dried-up turnips, Scarlet raises her fist in the air and pronounces, “As God is my witness, I will never go hungry again . . . not me or any of my kin.”

Now that could be a noble vow, but Scarlett adds the commitment to do whatever she deems necessary, including lie, cheat, steal or kill. Though she does become wealthy, she can’t really enjoy it due to the unintentional spiritual and emotional poverty vows which were a by-product of both conscious and unconscious faults like fear, greed, and spite.

Here’s how Scarlett’s unintentional poverty vows might be expressed: I insist on having what I think I want, no matter who is hurt in the process, including my own heart. I will base my business and spending decisions not just on sound business or financial information, but also on such desires as making others pea-green with envy; keeping myself from realizing how much I really love Rhett, not Ashley; and running from the fears that have caused nightmares since I was a child and a lot of grief ever since.

It’s not easy undoing poverty vows. Undoing poverty vows after years in a committed religious order may require years of learning how to make a living, and perhaps becoming totally re-trained. After all, there aren’t a whole lot of job descriptions calling for people who are adept at contemplation and fluent in Latin or Gregorian chant!

Undoing unintentional poverty vows can be even harder. Therapy and coaching can help uncover them; so can reflection on what’s not working around money in your life and considering, “What might I have been thinking when I developed this unfruitful way of dealing with money?”

Here are some unconscious poverty vows to consider:

• I vow not to learn about money and how to handle it well.
• I base my financial decisions on shame, fear, or ___________.
• I choose to base my financial and business planning on hopes and dreams that I have not carefully considered.
• I choose to trust blindly without giving my financial or business dealings the careful consideration I owe myself and others. (The legal term is “due diligence.”)

What about you? Do any of the above vows sound familiar?

And what’s your true abundance vow when you turn around your poverty vows, either conscious or unintentional, then look into your soul for guidance?

My favorite true abundance vow begins with gratitude for all the gifts I’ve gained from being married to a man who brought his financial challenges and gifts to our marriage. The challenges are nobody’s business but our own, but the gifts include these: Not once have I ever known John to act greedy or mean about money. Instead, his habit of simplicity helps pull me off my high horse and enjoy the moment more. He looks so carefully at any gift that in the process, I see more in the gift. His appreciation is so contagious that I seem to gain more in the giving than he gets in receiving it.

In creating a true abundance vow, I also had to deal with what I’ve learned from my own collection of often-contradictory unintentional poverty vows, like my childhood dreams of wowing everyone who had ever put me down with the huge emerald and flashy sports car I would someday have, mixed with a longtime habit of dreaming big, doing little. And then there are the usual suspects like shame or “I don’t really deserve it.”

Here’s my current true abundance vow. May it inspire you to create your own:

I vow to treat money as an exchange of energy that I use wisely, to the betterment of myself and others. I vow to live simply and richly, basing my financial decisions on a combination of in-the-world research, prayer, and a lot of careful discernment. In this journey of earning and using money more wisely, I give thanks for all the challenges and the beings on this earth who have helped me learn from them.

As always, I hope you enjoy this challenge.

Come back real soon with your thoughts and inspiration,
Pat McHenry Sullivan