To Do or Not To Do, Part 5
So continuing with on, we come to...
Not to Forsake Charity
Maybe you're one of those naturally charitable, even cheerful types. I'm not. So charity's always a challenge. I've read that prideful people find charity especially difficult. No comment.
When it comes to work, charity frequently takes a back seat when I'm especially busy. The worst times is when I'm working really intensely on some project. Even when I don't snap at others, I'm usually curt. I don't really listen carefully to what they're saying and so basically I ignore them - more or less, I don't care about them.
On the other hand, there have been golden moments when I do as I should and call on Our Lord and Our Lady for the grace to be patient, attentive and kind. Guess what. It works. You just have to do what you should be doing all day at work: think about Our Lord from time to time, say a quick prayer, work for his greater glory, offer all your prayers, works, joys and sufferings, etc.
To Refer What Good One Sees in Himself Not to Self But to God
I don't mind saying I'm sorry for my sins, but darn it if I don't think I deserve credit when I do something right. Hmmm...smacks of that pride I referred to before, doesn't it.
This is especially challenging at work when you're in a competitive environment, if you don't appropriately take credit for a job well done, you're probably not going to get proper credit, which could negatively impact your career. That's not good. But you can still take that credit and turn to Our Lord in prayer and acknowledge the help He gave you in doing a great job. Because the fact is, the good in us comes from the grace we receive. Remember, we're fallen creatures, always subject to a tendency to sin.
Now that I have my own business, the challenge is the same. If I do a good job for my customers, I can either pat myself on the back or - right away - thank God that He gave the graces I needed to do as well as I've done. But I have to make the effort to constantly remind myself that all the glory is His - because it really is.
But as to Any Evil in Himself, Let Him be Convinced That It is His Own and Charge it to Himself
Heck, this may be the easiest of all. I have no trouble seeing just how awful I can be. And I have not trouble realizing that it's nobody's fault but mine.
But there is one thing to work on, and that's when someone else really screws something up at work. If I'm not careful here, I can get pretty annoyed, even angry. But really, correction can be stern and serious without giving in to anger or even annoyance. (This gets back to the point about charity above.) So I've got work to do there. I've got to be on my guard not to let someone else's screw up tempt my charity. And even if they don't see the error of their ways, and appropriately apologize and do all they can to make up for the mistake, I can always remind myself that I wasn't always so convinced of the evil in myself, and didn't always own up to the wrong I've done. (Not that I'm perfect now, mind you.)
So there it is: some ways to read and meditate on The Rule of St Benedict, specifically how to apply these particular sections to your efforts as a Catholic man at work.
Not to Forsake Charity
Maybe you're one of those naturally charitable, even cheerful types. I'm not. So charity's always a challenge. I've read that prideful people find charity especially difficult. No comment.
When it comes to work, charity frequently takes a back seat when I'm especially busy. The worst times is when I'm working really intensely on some project. Even when I don't snap at others, I'm usually curt. I don't really listen carefully to what they're saying and so basically I ignore them - more or less, I don't care about them.
On the other hand, there have been golden moments when I do as I should and call on Our Lord and Our Lady for the grace to be patient, attentive and kind. Guess what. It works. You just have to do what you should be doing all day at work: think about Our Lord from time to time, say a quick prayer, work for his greater glory, offer all your prayers, works, joys and sufferings, etc.
To Refer What Good One Sees in Himself Not to Self But to God
I don't mind saying I'm sorry for my sins, but darn it if I don't think I deserve credit when I do something right. Hmmm...smacks of that pride I referred to before, doesn't it.
This is especially challenging at work when you're in a competitive environment, if you don't appropriately take credit for a job well done, you're probably not going to get proper credit, which could negatively impact your career. That's not good. But you can still take that credit and turn to Our Lord in prayer and acknowledge the help He gave you in doing a great job. Because the fact is, the good in us comes from the grace we receive. Remember, we're fallen creatures, always subject to a tendency to sin.
Now that I have my own business, the challenge is the same. If I do a good job for my customers, I can either pat myself on the back or - right away - thank God that He gave the graces I needed to do as well as I've done. But I have to make the effort to constantly remind myself that all the glory is His - because it really is.
But as to Any Evil in Himself, Let Him be Convinced That It is His Own and Charge it to Himself
Heck, this may be the easiest of all. I have no trouble seeing just how awful I can be. And I have not trouble realizing that it's nobody's fault but mine.
But there is one thing to work on, and that's when someone else really screws something up at work. If I'm not careful here, I can get pretty annoyed, even angry. But really, correction can be stern and serious without giving in to anger or even annoyance. (This gets back to the point about charity above.) So I've got work to do there. I've got to be on my guard not to let someone else's screw up tempt my charity. And even if they don't see the error of their ways, and appropriately apologize and do all they can to make up for the mistake, I can always remind myself that I wasn't always so convinced of the evil in myself, and didn't always own up to the wrong I've done. (Not that I'm perfect now, mind you.)
So there it is: some ways to read and meditate on The Rule of St Benedict, specifically how to apply these particular sections to your efforts as a Catholic man at work.
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