Carried in Prayer on Every Journey

Benedict tells those traveling to ask for the prayers of the community before they leave and to remember the community in prayer while away. Travel separates the monk physically, but it need not separate him spiritually. He still belongs to the monastery, and the monastery still carries him in prayer.

There is a beautiful lesson here for ordinary life. We are constantly being sent somewhere—into work, appointments, errands, family obligations, difficult conversations. We can begin those journeys with prayer and return from them with gratitude. Benedict teaches us that no journey has to be merely practical. Even a trip across town can become part of our life with God when we remember who sends us and to whom we return.