The word “office” comes from the Latin word “opus.” You’ve probably heard people refer to someone’s “magnum opus,” or maybe you saw the movie Mr. Holland’s Opus. “Opus” means “work.”

There’s a long tradition in the Christian faith of referring to the daily routine of prayer as “the offices,” as if our “prayer-life” and our “work-life” were the same thing. Our prayer is part of our life’s work.