Seeking Relief from Lenten Discipline and/or Daily Pressure - Continued
We continue with how to deal with daily pressure at work and in our personal lives. We're up to where we're stuck in a job that's eating away at us, but we can't just quit. We're looking to make a change, but we've got to bear with things for a while. Meanwhile, the pressure of our situation builds up. What to do?
Well, how about starting with prayer? This may sound simplistic to some of you, especially if you're already praying for help, but not quite getting the answer or answers you were looking for, e.g., a new job or a new boss. Having been in this position on more than one occasion, all I can say is that you really need to not only keep praying, but open your mind and heart to God. Don't just spout words at Him. Speak to him in a personal an heartfelt manner. Remember, He's your Father. Jesus Himself taught us that. He spoke to and about God as a Father, even when He was suffering and dying on the Cross. And so should we. Our Father loves us and wants us to treat Him like a Father.
We might also say that we should talk to Him like a friend, but for many of us guys we don't always speak to our friends in - okay I'll just say it - an intimate manner. In fact, many of us don't even speak to our wives in an intimate manner. So if you're the kind of guy who's too "guy-like" to open up and say what's really on your mind, or what's really in your heart, you've got a problem here. Your problem is likely that you're aloof, stuck in some sort of cold, tough guy image of yourself. If you do, maybe you should open your New Testament. Does Our Lord ever come off this way? And isn't He the best example of a man we can find? Grow up. Loosen up. Speak to Him from your heart. Just do it.
But let's say you're talking to God in this intimate, heart-felt manner and God's doing the usual: He's not answering you right away in the way you want. The other day at daily Mass, the priest (a good guy) explained that if God answers us right away, we'll always only pray to Him when we want something urgently and just forget about Him the rest of the time. And if you re-read what we just said in previous paragraph, you should be able to figure out that you're not going to be very close, that is intimate, with God if you treat Him like that.
But even if all this makes sense, maybe it doesn't help you, in the sense that maybe it doesn't provide "relief" from that pressure that's built up. Frankly, so much in our culture encourages us to seek not just relief, but instant relief. You have a little ache, take Advil. Feeling tense, take a drink. And so many of us buy into this "instant relief" mentality. It's not so much that we can't stand stand real pain, it's that we can't tolerate the slightest discomfort in our lives. Besides the usual physical aches and pains that come our way, we can't stand being even slightly mentally or emotionally perturbed.
But that's not you, right? You're a Catholic man - as in MAN - and you're not going to go that route. You'll persist in finding a solution to your work issues without behaving in an immature or, worse, sinful manner, OK?
Of course, between now and that happy time when you make a change and your work isn't as much of a pain-in-the-you-know-what, don't be surprised if you're tempted to seek the comfort of earthly pleasures, even sinful ones. So here's something you might want to remember if and when such temptations arise. It's from Father William Doyle, S.J., a reminder of the happy ending in store for you by the grace of God, and your cooperation with His grace. It's not something we hear about every day nor - for most of us - something we think about often enough. It's as Catholic as Catholic can be.
Well, how about starting with prayer? This may sound simplistic to some of you, especially if you're already praying for help, but not quite getting the answer or answers you were looking for, e.g., a new job or a new boss. Having been in this position on more than one occasion, all I can say is that you really need to not only keep praying, but open your mind and heart to God. Don't just spout words at Him. Speak to him in a personal an heartfelt manner. Remember, He's your Father. Jesus Himself taught us that. He spoke to and about God as a Father, even when He was suffering and dying on the Cross. And so should we. Our Father loves us and wants us to treat Him like a Father.
We might also say that we should talk to Him like a friend, but for many of us guys we don't always speak to our friends in - okay I'll just say it - an intimate manner. In fact, many of us don't even speak to our wives in an intimate manner. So if you're the kind of guy who's too "guy-like" to open up and say what's really on your mind, or what's really in your heart, you've got a problem here. Your problem is likely that you're aloof, stuck in some sort of cold, tough guy image of yourself. If you do, maybe you should open your New Testament. Does Our Lord ever come off this way? And isn't He the best example of a man we can find? Grow up. Loosen up. Speak to Him from your heart. Just do it.
But let's say you're talking to God in this intimate, heart-felt manner and God's doing the usual: He's not answering you right away in the way you want. The other day at daily Mass, the priest (a good guy) explained that if God answers us right away, we'll always only pray to Him when we want something urgently and just forget about Him the rest of the time. And if you re-read what we just said in previous paragraph, you should be able to figure out that you're not going to be very close, that is intimate, with God if you treat Him like that.
But even if all this makes sense, maybe it doesn't help you, in the sense that maybe it doesn't provide "relief" from that pressure that's built up. Frankly, so much in our culture encourages us to seek not just relief, but instant relief. You have a little ache, take Advil. Feeling tense, take a drink. And so many of us buy into this "instant relief" mentality. It's not so much that we can't stand stand real pain, it's that we can't tolerate the slightest discomfort in our lives. Besides the usual physical aches and pains that come our way, we can't stand being even slightly mentally or emotionally perturbed.
But that's not you, right? You're a Catholic man - as in MAN - and you're not going to go that route. You'll persist in finding a solution to your work issues without behaving in an immature or, worse, sinful manner, OK?
Of course, between now and that happy time when you make a change and your work isn't as much of a pain-in-the-you-know-what, don't be surprised if you're tempted to seek the comfort of earthly pleasures, even sinful ones. So here's something you might want to remember if and when such temptations arise. It's from Father William Doyle, S.J., a reminder of the happy ending in store for you by the grace of God, and your cooperation with His grace. It's not something we hear about every day nor - for most of us - something we think about often enough. It's as Catholic as Catholic can be.
“Heaven at long last! Peace and rest forever! Sin is gone and sorrow is gone, suffering and pain are past forever. Joy and gladness is my reward now and forever into the immeasurable depths of a blessed eternity. How mean and contemptible the miserable pleasures of my earthly life seem now! How could I have been so deluded as even for an instant to think of bartering this unexplored paradise of delights for some momentary gratification of the flesh. And my penances and mortification, which cost me so much, from which I so often cowardly shrank, how glorious they seem to me know, how, beyond all measure, generously rewarded. Regret? It cannot find a place in this home of bliss; but if it could, surely would I grieve that I have done so little for Jesus in return for what I now enjoy.”
We adore Thee O Christ and we bless thee,
because by Thy Holy Cross Thou has redeemed the world.
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