Dying to Self at Work During Lent
As we enter more deeply into the Holy Season of Lent, let's recall one simple objective common to our Lenten discipline of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving: dying to self. Simple, yes; but easy? Not likely. That's what makes our Lenten discipline so important today. It provides us with a sure and straight path to lead us not only away from our typical focus on self, but also towards Our Lord.
For those of us not sure about this idea of "dying to self," perhaps we might recall the fact that we're all going to die someday. Our soul and body will separate. The body will decay, but the soul will meet Our Lord face-to-fact and be judged. If we're totally self-focused in this life that meeting may not be all that pleasant. On the other hand, if we get to work on directing our focus from ourselves to Our Lord while we're still walking this earth - a part of dying to self - we might imagine a more welcoming experience, don't you think? We'll offer up some examples of dying to self in a moment.
First, to help sustain our Lenten discipline at work, we continue our journey with Our Lord during Lent, posting the Stations of the Cross, one at a time, using St. Alphonsus Liguori as our guide. (Click HERE for a complete pdf of St. Alphonsus's version of the Stations of the Cross.)
Station 5: Jesus Is Helped by Simon
St. Alphonsus writes:
Consider how the Jews, seeing that at each step Jesus from weakness was on the point of expiring, and fearing that He would die on the way, when they wished Him to die the ignominious death of the Cross, constrained Simon the Cyrenian to carry the Cross behind our Lord.
My most sweet Jesus, I will not refuse the Cross, as the Cyrenian did; I accept it; I embrace it. I accept in particular the death Thou hast destined for me; with all the pains that may accompany it; I unite it to Thy death, I offer it to Thee. Thou hast died for love of me; I will die for love of Thee, and to please Thee. Help me by Thy grace. I love Thee, Jesus my love; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Relating this to our work day:
When St. Alphonsus says, "I accept in particular the death Thou hast destined for me," we recall that Holy Mother Church traditionally urges us to meditate on Death while we have the time - one of the so-called "Four Last Things" (Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell.) While the work day may not be the ideal setting for meditation on death, it can, as we discussed above, present us with opportunities to die to self. For example, if you've got a plan to practice certain special mortifications during your work day, and you find yourself avoiding or minimizing these, take notice. You're likely rebelling against the suppression of your typical, all-too-natural tendency to be self-centered. Our mortifications are designed to chip away at our selfishness. And that's exactly why they seem so difficult and distasteful. For example, let's you've determined to delay eating your lunch for three minutes after saying grace. Three minutes in the course of a long day's work is a drop in the bucket. And yet now it seems almost like an eternity. But don't give in! Hold on! We could even embrace those brief moments and acknowledge Our Lord's Passion in a loving manner. If we can do this, we die to self.
We conclude today's thoughts with the simple, moving exhortation with which St. Alphonsus Liguori approaches each Station of the Cross:
For those of us not sure about this idea of "dying to self," perhaps we might recall the fact that we're all going to die someday. Our soul and body will separate. The body will decay, but the soul will meet Our Lord face-to-fact and be judged. If we're totally self-focused in this life that meeting may not be all that pleasant. On the other hand, if we get to work on directing our focus from ourselves to Our Lord while we're still walking this earth - a part of dying to self - we might imagine a more welcoming experience, don't you think? We'll offer up some examples of dying to self in a moment.
First, to help sustain our Lenten discipline at work, we continue our journey with Our Lord during Lent, posting the Stations of the Cross, one at a time, using St. Alphonsus Liguori as our guide. (Click HERE for a complete pdf of St. Alphonsus's version of the Stations of the Cross.)
Station 5: Jesus Is Helped by Simon
St. Alphonsus writes:
Consider how the Jews, seeing that at each step Jesus from weakness was on the point of expiring, and fearing that He would die on the way, when they wished Him to die the ignominious death of the Cross, constrained Simon the Cyrenian to carry the Cross behind our Lord.
My most sweet Jesus, I will not refuse the Cross, as the Cyrenian did; I accept it; I embrace it. I accept in particular the death Thou hast destined for me; with all the pains that may accompany it; I unite it to Thy death, I offer it to Thee. Thou hast died for love of me; I will die for love of Thee, and to please Thee. Help me by Thy grace. I love Thee, Jesus my love; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Relating this to our work day:
When St. Alphonsus says, "I accept in particular the death Thou hast destined for me," we recall that Holy Mother Church traditionally urges us to meditate on Death while we have the time - one of the so-called "Four Last Things" (Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell.) While the work day may not be the ideal setting for meditation on death, it can, as we discussed above, present us with opportunities to die to self. For example, if you've got a plan to practice certain special mortifications during your work day, and you find yourself avoiding or minimizing these, take notice. You're likely rebelling against the suppression of your typical, all-too-natural tendency to be self-centered. Our mortifications are designed to chip away at our selfishness. And that's exactly why they seem so difficult and distasteful. For example, let's you've determined to delay eating your lunch for three minutes after saying grace. Three minutes in the course of a long day's work is a drop in the bucket. And yet now it seems almost like an eternity. But don't give in! Hold on! We could even embrace those brief moments and acknowledge Our Lord's Passion in a loving manner. If we can do this, we die to self.
We conclude today's thoughts with the simple, moving exhortation with which St. Alphonsus Liguori approaches each Station of the Cross:
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou has redeemed the world.
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