Left at the Altar

"It is most laudable in a married woman to be devout, but she must never forget that she is a housewife. And sometimes she must leave God at the altar to find Him in her housekeeping." St Frances of Rome

This is probably one of those quotes that raises eyebrows like Ephesians 5.

At first glance, this sounds almost scandalous. Leave God at the altar?

But the more I think about it, the more this gets at something we often miss.

We fall into thinking that our "real" relationship with God happens in church or during prayer time. Everything else—work, family responsibilities, daily tasks—feels like an interruption.

You could replace "married woman" and "housewife" in that quote with any vocation – both lower case and upper case. Father. Mother. Teacher. Nurse. Small business owner.

Your vocation isn't an interruption to your life with God. It's the primary place you encounter Him, love Him, and serve Him.

This doesn't mean we abandon formal prayer or stop going to Mass. Those practices prepare us to recognize God everywhere else. But it does mean we stop treating our daily responsibilities like obstacles to overcome before we can get to the "real" spiritual stuff.

So yes, spend time with God at the altar. But don't be surprised when you find Him right in the middle of your ordinary, beautiful, holy life.