"News Flash: Warren Buffett and Bill Gates have just converted to Catholicism, left all their money to charity, and have moved to Montana to live a life of prayer and service to God. Film at eleven." That would be quite a story! It was quite a story when seven wealthy nobleman of the city of Florence, Italy did just that in 1240. They were already Catholic, but there was a major heresy in Florence that led people away from the faith. These seven men wanted to live in penance and prayer.
The Servite Order is a combination of monastic life, which is one of prayer and work and silence, and the active ministry, which is one of going out into the community to serve and teach and minister to the needs of the people. We need both prayer and silence in our lives along with service and ministry. There is a balance we can achieve by focusing on God and what he calls us to do. We need to take time to build our relationship with God through prayer. That may be five minutes or an hour a day depending on our schedule, but also depending on the need to be closer to God. We need to serve others, whether it be in our church or community or workplace. This service needs to be an "extra", more than what we are used to.
The seven founders of the Servite Order made a radical choice to pray and serve. We are called to make a radical choice to pray and serve. We need to move further out of our comfort zone to follow God.
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