I chose the Benedictines because I knew them and liked them. For Benedict that was the bottom line. That was the only motive strong enough to allow someone to make a life commitment to the monastic way of life. It means keeping our focus on God, letting go of anything that might distract us from growing closer to God. All are called to seek God in many different ways.
Prayer is very important.
We pray the Liturgy of the Hours together as a community four times a day. I have to admit I'm not always at my best early in the morning, but that prayer at the beginning of the day is very important to me. Older sisters, who get up very early so that they can loosen up their arthritis enough to walk, and younger sisters, who would rather sleep another hour, come together to pray. Our very presence to one another and to God is a daily reminder that we all share in one common desire to Seek God. When the bell rings for noon prayer and I have to turn off my computer, I can see it as an interruption, or I can see it as a reminder that this prayer is calling me and the community back to remember that all time is God's time and all of our work is for God.