What I was hoping to express in the previous post on the daily schedule is simply that life is made up of work and prayer, as illustrated in the first saying of St. Anthony:
When the holy Abba Anthony was living in the desert, he was in a state of despondency and his mind was darkened by a multitude of thoughts, and he said to God, "Lord, I want to be saved, but these thoughts will not leave me alone. What shall I do in my affliction? How will I be saved?" A little later, when he went outside, Anthony saw someone like himself, sitting and working, then rising from work and praying, and again sitting and plaiting a rope, then again rising for prayer. It was an angel of the Lord, sent for correction and assurance against stumbling. And he heard the angel saying, "Do this, and you will be saved." And when he heard this, he had great joy and courage; he did it, and was saved.
It is important to keep active, not to grant ourselves the time for self-destructive and wearying thoughts. But work (any sort of productive activity for any aged person) doesn't need to be done at a frenzied pace, without isles of refuge, as a way to avoid and deny our inner struggles. It can, instead, be done steadily, with pray-filled interruptions that refocus our attention on God, reminding us that the creation which so demands our attention is given to us by the Creator who loves us and longs to be with us in our activities. That is what the monastic schedule here, or at HDM, endeavors to foster.
I'm convinced that the reason people so enjoy visiting monasteries is because they, the monasteries, strive to keep life that simple. St Anthony needed help, a reminder from an angle sent by God. And so the rest of us need help, a reminder that our Lord's words can be lived out in our frenetic world:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Mt 11:28-30)