The other day at recreation, several of us nuns were commenting to each other about how struck we’ve been, during this extraordinary time when Masses are cancelled throughout the world, by the core of our vocation as contemplative nuns.

By our vows as religious, and particularly as contemplatives, we are deputed to pray the official prayer of the Church — daily Mass and daily Liturgy of the Hours — on behalf of the whole Body of Christ. We lend our voices, our hearts, our whole beings to the Church precisely so that we can lift up her prayer and worship, and the prayer and worship of each of her members. We pray in the stead of those who cannot pray or who will not pray. On our lips are the words for those who do not know what words to use, or who are prevented from speaking by suffering, persecution, circumstance, exhaustion….

And while this liturgical vocation is true always and every day, it has seemed especially true these days. In God’s merciful providence, our chaplain has remained “cloistered” with us during this pandemic, in order to celebrate the sacraments here. As we have continued our monastic rhythm of liturgy and prayer in the midst of a world turned upside down, it has felt a bit like the whole world is being funneled through each of us poor nuns. Like, somehow, we are the contact-point between earth and heaven. What an awesome, humbling reality!

On the affective level, this reality means that even when we don’t feel what the psalms and prayers are saying in the Liturgy of the Hours, even when it is really hard to concentrate, even when it doesn’t seem like Holy Communion brings any felt effect in our hearts… in short, even when we don’t feel like we’re getting anything out of the liturgy, it is still powerful prayer of praise and intercession. We are praying on behalf of someone (perhaps many people) in the Church, someone who is feeling exactly what the psalms are saying, even if we ourselves aren’t. We are uniting ourselves to the Holy Sacrifice on behalf of someone (perhaps many people) who is prevented. We are receiving Holy Communion and becoming vessels of grace on behalf of someone (perhaps many people) who cannot receive.

In the liturgy, we pray with Jesus’ own voice, with Jesus’ own perfect prayer as the Great High Priest. Therefore the prayer and efficacy of our liturgies extend far, far beyond the bounds of our own bodies and our little cloister. It is Jesus Christ who prays, Jesus Christ who offers the sacrifice, Jesus Christ who pours forth His grace… Jesus Christ, Head and Mystical Body united, transfiguring, transforming, gathering, healing, uniting, elevating, deifying… in every single liturgy.

Our worship is your worship. Literally.

Know that we carry you in our hearts and voices always.