Asking for God's Help When Work Gets Tough - Part 2
Continuing our discussion about asking for God's help when work gets tough, we turn to Tino Martinez. Remember him? He played first base for those Yankee teams that won a bunch of World Series between 1996 - 2000. Last weekend, Tino Martinez gave the Commencement speech at Fordham University. Being a Yankee fan, I enjoyed what he had to say. I knew Tino as a Yankee, but didn't know he was Catholic.
He talked about the challenges of his career, how in 1996, the first year the Yankees won the World Series in almost 20 years, he wasn't playing well. Tino, along with the other Catholic players, used to attend Mass together during the season. He explained that the Yankees made a priest available for Sunday Mass during the season. He compared the priest to "Micky" in the movie "Rocky" - a tough-talking, crusty sort of guy. As things got tough for Tino in 1996 - he wasn't playing very well - he asked the priest to ask God to help him. The priest told Him he was praying for him, but it seemed like God wasn't listening. That's just where we left off last time - when things get tough at work, and when we ask God for help, but He doesn't seem to be listening to us.
Tino's solution to this dilemma was to just keep working, and to keep asking. No crisis of faith. No drama. Just work and pray, pray and work.
Maybe we can learn a lesson here.
Okay, so we know how things turned out for Tino. He had a great career after all. And he made a fortune too. Easy for him to say we should just keep at it, right? But what about you or me? I don't know about you, but I haven't had a career like Tino's, either from the success angle or the fortune angle. And yet, I've learned to - that's right, work and pray, pray and work.
I've learned this because I've learned that God is my Father. And once you understand this, you understand Our Lord's words:
Our Lord knew how to explain things to us in a manner any of us can understand. I think that's true here. That's why I've come to understand His words here, and why I just ask for God's help all the time, and especially when things get tough.
No more tough guy, like I was talking about last time. I know now that I really don't need to take all the tough stuff on my shoulders. In fact, I know I can't take it all on my shoulders and I'm not afraid to say it.
And no more wondering whether my Father really loves me if I don't get the answer right away, or the answer I want. I know that even when it seems He's not listening, He really is. And somehow He's giving me the help I need, even when I don't see or "feel" it.
He talked about the challenges of his career, how in 1996, the first year the Yankees won the World Series in almost 20 years, he wasn't playing well. Tino, along with the other Catholic players, used to attend Mass together during the season. He explained that the Yankees made a priest available for Sunday Mass during the season. He compared the priest to "Micky" in the movie "Rocky" - a tough-talking, crusty sort of guy. As things got tough for Tino in 1996 - he wasn't playing very well - he asked the priest to ask God to help him. The priest told Him he was praying for him, but it seemed like God wasn't listening. That's just where we left off last time - when things get tough at work, and when we ask God for help, but He doesn't seem to be listening to us.
Tino's solution to this dilemma was to just keep working, and to keep asking. No crisis of faith. No drama. Just work and pray, pray and work.
Maybe we can learn a lesson here.
Okay, so we know how things turned out for Tino. He had a great career after all. And he made a fortune too. Easy for him to say we should just keep at it, right? But what about you or me? I don't know about you, but I haven't had a career like Tino's, either from the success angle or the fortune angle. And yet, I've learned to - that's right, work and pray, pray and work.
I've learned this because I've learned that God is my Father. And once you understand this, you understand Our Lord's words:
...what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Mat 7: 8-13)When I think about my own earthly father - and maybe when you think about yours - this all makes perfect sense. I didn't ask my Dad for a lot, but when I did ask for bread, I never got a stone.
Our Lord knew how to explain things to us in a manner any of us can understand. I think that's true here. That's why I've come to understand His words here, and why I just ask for God's help all the time, and especially when things get tough.
No more tough guy, like I was talking about last time. I know now that I really don't need to take all the tough stuff on my shoulders. In fact, I know I can't take it all on my shoulders and I'm not afraid to say it.
And no more wondering whether my Father really loves me if I don't get the answer right away, or the answer I want. I know that even when it seems He's not listening, He really is. And somehow He's giving me the help I need, even when I don't see or "feel" it.
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