Why Little Things Matter In Work and Prayer
We've been talking about how sometimes we hardly speak or even think about God during the work day. Not only do we have to deal with the demands of our job, but we have to deal with the demands of our selfishness: we simply spend too much time thinking about ourselves - our personal wants and needs.
Here's a trivial example: lunch. I've known people who talk about and plan lunch like it's they were preparing the Battle of Normandy. What time will they eat, what, where, with whom. There's a new place that just opened. (Manhattan, where I've spend most of my work life, is filled with places to eat lunch - and there's always some new hot place opening up.)
Maybe it's something a little less trivial. You didn't sleep well last night, so you're having trouble concentrating. Or you ate or drank too much, so you're physically uncomfortable. Or you had a fight with your wife, so you're totally distracted now.
Come to think of it, you could probably draw up a list of personal wants and needs that would fill up just about every day of the year.
That's why the Church, in Her wisdom, traditionally recommended a little mortification throughout the day. We don't talk about this much about this these days, but we should.
My favorite is delaying my lunch by a minute. You can do this anywhere, anytime, even at a formal business lunch. The food comes, you wait...one minute. You delay gratification. You "offer up" this small delayed gratification to Our Lord. Even better, you unite yourself to His sufferings on the Cross.
Yes, I realize delaying eating your lunch for a minute can't in any way be compared with His sufferings. But He'll appreciate your intention, nonetheless. Besides, there's really not too much that can be compared to His sufferings in any case, is there?
Here's a trivial example: lunch. I've known people who talk about and plan lunch like it's they were preparing the Battle of Normandy. What time will they eat, what, where, with whom. There's a new place that just opened. (Manhattan, where I've spend most of my work life, is filled with places to eat lunch - and there's always some new hot place opening up.)
Maybe it's something a little less trivial. You didn't sleep well last night, so you're having trouble concentrating. Or you ate or drank too much, so you're physically uncomfortable. Or you had a fight with your wife, so you're totally distracted now.
Come to think of it, you could probably draw up a list of personal wants and needs that would fill up just about every day of the year.
That's why the Church, in Her wisdom, traditionally recommended a little mortification throughout the day. We don't talk about this much about this these days, but we should.
My favorite is delaying my lunch by a minute. You can do this anywhere, anytime, even at a formal business lunch. The food comes, you wait...one minute. You delay gratification. You "offer up" this small delayed gratification to Our Lord. Even better, you unite yourself to His sufferings on the Cross.
Yes, I realize delaying eating your lunch for a minute can't in any way be compared with His sufferings. But He'll appreciate your intention, nonetheless. Besides, there's really not too much that can be compared to His sufferings in any case, is there?
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