Purify, Not Gratify
The world says "Gratify." But we have to "Purify."
So many people complain about work. They need relief from their jobs. They can't wait for the weekend. Wednesday is "hump" day. (Get past Wednesday, you're over the hump and on your way to the weekend.)
And what's the weekend about? Too often it's self-gratification: partying, drinking (or worse), entertainment (and not always uplifting stuff), or doing nothing.
People want to gratify themselves - to get that relief from their jobs.
But Catholic men can't afford to live this way. Never mind the sinful activities. Even the trivial stuff like watching too much sports, staring at our computers (at what?) - frankly, seeking pleasure in any form. That gets you into the "gratify" mindset.
Besides, we're missing out on so much at work when we think this way - when all we're thinking about is getting relief from our jobs. Work can be our path to Heaven. It can be the place where we apply our skills and talents day in and day out for the benefit of others. Who? Well, start with your business or profession. Do a great job and your business or profession might be more successful.
Or how about the folks you work with. That great job you're doing helps them. You may even inspire them to work more diligently. And you never know, but maybe a virtuous circle forms where everyone's really working hard and helping each other breaks out in the midst of that old job of yours.
Then there are those customers and clients. They pay for a product or service. You provide a good one, they come back and spend more.
And then profits increase, so that the firm generates more surplus. And maybe some of that surplus comes your way - a raise or a bonus. And you not only provide better for the family, but maybe you've got more now to help people who need help.
(In fact, the Church encourages businesses to material success just so greater profits benefit the "common good." That great job you do contributes to that.)
And through all this diligent work, this applying your skills and talents conscientiously day after day, you purify your soul. That's right, that selfish tendency we men seem to have as part of our DNA starts to leak out of us and we become less selfish and more focused on others, even as we focus on our work, on doing a really good job.
You may even start seeing all these good results of doing a good job. You may experience things running more smoothly, people working a bit harder with a bit more enthusiasm.
Or you may be blessed enough to have seen your efforts result in greater profits to the company - and to you. And you may even have already figured out you could spare a few bucks for, let's say, that group that takes care of those single pregnant women who decided not to have an abortion, but have nowhere else to turn. You helped save the baby, helped the woman get the guidance or training they need to support themselves and their baby. It's all because you did a good job in the first place and didn't spend the week pining for the weekend.
And so the whole push to gratify fades. You don't even think about it anymore.
Sure, you get tired. Sure, you need a weekend - or a at least a Sunday - to rest, to get some healthy recreation in. Maybe even watch a football game or two.
But you're not focused on this whole self-gratification part of the culture that just drags you down in the end - or worse.
No, not you. You're a Catholic man at work who knows that a good day's work can purify. And with enough purification, you don't need the gratification.
The purified soul is light, full of life, joyful. It's easier to help and encourage others when you're not dragging yourself around with the weight of those "gratified" weekends. You're not spending your Sundays dreading your Mondays.
Gratify - nah. Don't need to.
Purify.
So many people complain about work. They need relief from their jobs. They can't wait for the weekend. Wednesday is "hump" day. (Get past Wednesday, you're over the hump and on your way to the weekend.)
And what's the weekend about? Too often it's self-gratification: partying, drinking (or worse), entertainment (and not always uplifting stuff), or doing nothing.
People want to gratify themselves - to get that relief from their jobs.
But Catholic men can't afford to live this way. Never mind the sinful activities. Even the trivial stuff like watching too much sports, staring at our computers (at what?) - frankly, seeking pleasure in any form. That gets you into the "gratify" mindset.
Besides, we're missing out on so much at work when we think this way - when all we're thinking about is getting relief from our jobs. Work can be our path to Heaven. It can be the place where we apply our skills and talents day in and day out for the benefit of others. Who? Well, start with your business or profession. Do a great job and your business or profession might be more successful.
Or how about the folks you work with. That great job you're doing helps them. You may even inspire them to work more diligently. And you never know, but maybe a virtuous circle forms where everyone's really working hard and helping each other breaks out in the midst of that old job of yours.
Then there are those customers and clients. They pay for a product or service. You provide a good one, they come back and spend more.
And then profits increase, so that the firm generates more surplus. And maybe some of that surplus comes your way - a raise or a bonus. And you not only provide better for the family, but maybe you've got more now to help people who need help.
(In fact, the Church encourages businesses to material success just so greater profits benefit the "common good." That great job you do contributes to that.)
And through all this diligent work, this applying your skills and talents conscientiously day after day, you purify your soul. That's right, that selfish tendency we men seem to have as part of our DNA starts to leak out of us and we become less selfish and more focused on others, even as we focus on our work, on doing a really good job.
You may even start seeing all these good results of doing a good job. You may experience things running more smoothly, people working a bit harder with a bit more enthusiasm.
Or you may be blessed enough to have seen your efforts result in greater profits to the company - and to you. And you may even have already figured out you could spare a few bucks for, let's say, that group that takes care of those single pregnant women who decided not to have an abortion, but have nowhere else to turn. You helped save the baby, helped the woman get the guidance or training they need to support themselves and their baby. It's all because you did a good job in the first place and didn't spend the week pining for the weekend.
And so the whole push to gratify fades. You don't even think about it anymore.
Sure, you get tired. Sure, you need a weekend - or a at least a Sunday - to rest, to get some healthy recreation in. Maybe even watch a football game or two.
But you're not focused on this whole self-gratification part of the culture that just drags you down in the end - or worse.
No, not you. You're a Catholic man at work who knows that a good day's work can purify. And with enough purification, you don't need the gratification.
The purified soul is light, full of life, joyful. It's easier to help and encourage others when you're not dragging yourself around with the weight of those "gratified" weekends. You're not spending your Sundays dreading your Mondays.
Gratify - nah. Don't need to.
Purify.
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