Bring Some "Medieval" Thinking to Work
We live and work in a secular world. In the middle of it all, sometimes I think about the Middle Ages, when people were surrounded by the Faith and by those who openly professed it. Not that there weren't sinners and hypocrites and all that. But the fact is the Faith was openly professed, the Church openly praised and the Ten Commandments were the acknowledged "gold standard" of daily life.
It's different now. The Church is under attack a lot of the time. The Ten Commandments are optional for lots of folks. We could use a more medieval approach in today's world. I think it would even help us Catholic men in the workplace. But before I get to that, let's do some quick reviewing.
These days the word "medieval" - which refers to the Middle Ages - is used as a disparaging term. It's used to refer to ignorance, intolerance, superstition and the like. But that wasn't what the Middle Ages were really like. (If you don't know that, you should read up on it.) Really, it was an Age of Faith, when people lived openly as Catholics, conscious not so much of their place in an oppressive social structure, but of their place in the Body of Christ, in the Communion of Saints.
In reality, of course, things haven't really changed. We should still live that way, for example, conscious of our place in the Communion of Saints. We're the Church Militant. We're in the struggle, right here right now. The Saints in Heaven - all those in Heaven, not just the ones the Church "officially" recognizes, are the Church Triumphant. And the Church Suffering, also known as the Church Expectant, are the souls in Purgatory.
People in the Middle Ages knew this. All those "medieval" types people make fun of today understood this profound reality and lived day to day with that reality stamped on their minds and hearts. They saw reality a lot clearer than most of us "moderns."
If you're not living like one of those medieval folks, it's time to start. In a sense, we should all look to them for inspiration, as examples of what living like a Catholic should be.
Sure, we're not living in a world where everyone recognizes the Church as the Living Body of Christ. So what? We know all about that. Forget what everyone else does. Let's live like Catholics. Even at work.
Just because we work in a "secular" environment doesn't mean you have to check God at the door when you get to where you work. You can bring God in with you. No one's going to stop you.
So you bring Jesus with you - He's there with you whether you recognize Him during the day or not - and during the day acknowledge His Blessed Presence from time to time: maybe a short prayer or aspiration ("I love You Jesus"). Maybe you run up against a brick wall working on some project, or trying to solve some problem. Instead of pulling you hair our, ask Our Lord for help.
Or you could really ratchet up that "medieval" world-view and call on the Church Triumphant - Our Lady and the Saints - to help you. You've got some favorite Saints, don't you? You can ask them for help. Just take a deep breath and ask. That's it. Then get back to work.
And don't forget the Church Suffering. You can say a prayer and offer up some sacrifice during your work day for the Church Suffering - those holy souls in Purgatory. You and I know how totally ignored these poor souls are in our secular world - even, sadly, by many Catholics. But they're suffering nonetheless. Hardly anyone talks about them or prays for them anymore. But there they are suffering 24/7, just waiting for a prayer, a thought, even better some heroic sacrifice you might make during the day on their behalf.
Listen. The world Catholics lived in during the Middle Ages was the real world. We're the ones who've gotten it all wrong. Their world was one where people couple could and did talk openly about all things Catholic. It was a world that recognized reality for what it really is: God's Creation. It recognized God's Church. If you're not so sure about all this, just look at Medieval art.
Well, I don't want to get too sidetracked here, and start talking about Medieval art. But I do want to make a point. We Catholic men need to live Catholic lives always and everywhere. And that includes our lives at work, no matter how secular, agnostic or atheist our companies, bosses or co-workers might be.
More on this in my next post...
It's different now. The Church is under attack a lot of the time. The Ten Commandments are optional for lots of folks. We could use a more medieval approach in today's world. I think it would even help us Catholic men in the workplace. But before I get to that, let's do some quick reviewing.
These days the word "medieval" - which refers to the Middle Ages - is used as a disparaging term. It's used to refer to ignorance, intolerance, superstition and the like. But that wasn't what the Middle Ages were really like. (If you don't know that, you should read up on it.) Really, it was an Age of Faith, when people lived openly as Catholics, conscious not so much of their place in an oppressive social structure, but of their place in the Body of Christ, in the Communion of Saints.
In reality, of course, things haven't really changed. We should still live that way, for example, conscious of our place in the Communion of Saints. We're the Church Militant. We're in the struggle, right here right now. The Saints in Heaven - all those in Heaven, not just the ones the Church "officially" recognizes, are the Church Triumphant. And the Church Suffering, also known as the Church Expectant, are the souls in Purgatory.
People in the Middle Ages knew this. All those "medieval" types people make fun of today understood this profound reality and lived day to day with that reality stamped on their minds and hearts. They saw reality a lot clearer than most of us "moderns."
If you're not living like one of those medieval folks, it's time to start. In a sense, we should all look to them for inspiration, as examples of what living like a Catholic should be.
Sure, we're not living in a world where everyone recognizes the Church as the Living Body of Christ. So what? We know all about that. Forget what everyone else does. Let's live like Catholics. Even at work.
Just because we work in a "secular" environment doesn't mean you have to check God at the door when you get to where you work. You can bring God in with you. No one's going to stop you.
So you bring Jesus with you - He's there with you whether you recognize Him during the day or not - and during the day acknowledge His Blessed Presence from time to time: maybe a short prayer or aspiration ("I love You Jesus"). Maybe you run up against a brick wall working on some project, or trying to solve some problem. Instead of pulling you hair our, ask Our Lord for help.
Or you could really ratchet up that "medieval" world-view and call on the Church Triumphant - Our Lady and the Saints - to help you. You've got some favorite Saints, don't you? You can ask them for help. Just take a deep breath and ask. That's it. Then get back to work.
And don't forget the Church Suffering. You can say a prayer and offer up some sacrifice during your work day for the Church Suffering - those holy souls in Purgatory. You and I know how totally ignored these poor souls are in our secular world - even, sadly, by many Catholics. But they're suffering nonetheless. Hardly anyone talks about them or prays for them anymore. But there they are suffering 24/7, just waiting for a prayer, a thought, even better some heroic sacrifice you might make during the day on their behalf.
Listen. The world Catholics lived in during the Middle Ages was the real world. We're the ones who've gotten it all wrong. Their world was one where people couple could and did talk openly about all things Catholic. It was a world that recognized reality for what it really is: God's Creation. It recognized God's Church. If you're not so sure about all this, just look at Medieval art.
Well, I don't want to get too sidetracked here, and start talking about Medieval art. But I do want to make a point. We Catholic men need to live Catholic lives always and everywhere. And that includes our lives at work, no matter how secular, agnostic or atheist our companies, bosses or co-workers might be.
More on this in my next post...
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