For much of my life, I had equated routine with boredom. In my mind, routine was a series of thoughtless repetitive acts that lacked imagination and creativity. However, disruptions to life, such as the pandemic and natural disasters, have given me a different perspective.
In Virginia, a few inches of snow can wreak havoc regarding regular schedules amid event cancellations and school and workplace closings. Although children delight in a day away from school, many parents must weigh the importance of childcare against a day without pay.
Mindful that treacherous roads and icy parking lots can lead to untold suffering for those who fall victim to accidents, pastors are required to balance safety concerns with the spiritual needs of parishioners, even canceling worship services.
In contrast to life’s many disruptions, routine acts as an anchor, grounding us in the familiar and dependable. It liberates us from the chaos of constant uncertainty, which requires ongoing deliberation about alternate possibilities.
The more I thought about it, the more I saw the merits of routine. Being able to rely on schedules and set timetables frees us to concentrate on how we do things rather than wondering whether or not we should do them.
Considering the many ways that life can be disrupted, routine offers constancy and provides certitude amid life events that are beyond our control. However, as people of faith, the one constant in our life is God, which we can appreciate only when we place our trust in divine providence.
We may not always feel the presence of God when our life has been turned upside down, but it’s during those times that we need to rely on the strength of God’s grace more than ever. Therefore, prayer must become part of our regular routine.
Gandhi called prayer “the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening,” which gives credence to the importance of beginning and concluding each day with prayer. Establishing a regular prayer routine is important because it frees us from having to wrestle with the temptation to skip it when we’re tired or when God seems distant.
When offered thoughtfully, beginning the day with prayer provides a framework for the rest of our day. Then, when life’s unexpected disruptions come our way, we will be able to stand firm because our faith life will have a strong foundation.
At day’s end, when we examine our conscience and recount our triumphs and failures, evening prayer washes away the dust from the day, which allows a clear-eyed vision to take hold while filling our hearts with hope. Ending the day with God carries us from day to day as we grow in the wisdom and knowledge of God and of ourselves.
One way that my husband and I have found helpful in anchoring our day is by praying the Liturgy of the Hours in the morning and in the evening. Though long associated with priests, monks and nuns, the privilege was extended to the laity following the Second Vatican Council in the conciliar document on the sacred liturgy, “Sacrosanctum Concilium.”
While it’s true that the Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life, the Liturgy of the Hours serves as a liturgical path that prepares us to ascend the summit. And while not everyone can attend daily Mass, we can join the universal Church as it opens and closes each day with prayer.
In praying the psalms, which comprise much of the Liturgy of the Hours, we are reminded that evil has coexisted with good since the beginning of time. It is the result of original sin, which was the catastrophic disruption of the harmony that God had desired for the world.
But it’s not the end of the story. As Christians, we have a role to play in helping to turn the world toward God, and prayer is the most powerful tool by which we can do this.
This doesn’t mean that our prayer will end life’s struggles and suffering, but it will bless our efforts as we move through them. Then, secure in the peace that only God can give, we can end our day knowing that in the morning, our prayer will open the door to a new day, as we await all that it will bring.
In cultivating a prayer routine that includes beginning and ending our day with prayer, we are carried from day to day, knowing that we are secure in God’s love. Who could ask for anything more? While some things in life are beyond our control, turning to God is not one of them.