When Your Lenten Discipline at Work Hits a Few Speed Bumps
As we persist, with the help of God's grace, in our Lenten journey, it's only natural to hit a few speed bumps on the way. Trying to incorporate our commitment to increased prayer, almsgiving and fasting into our work each day can present special challenges. Some simple examples:
Pressing deadlines pile up. The boss is on us to meet them on time, just as his boss is on him. We'd like to come up for air and take some time to recollect ourselves, to grab a spare moment to consider Our Lord's Passion. But our pressing work continually distracts us.
With the pressure on, we find ourselves a bit short-tempered. That co-worker on whom we have to rely to finish a particularly important project seems slow in responding to our request for a progress update. That charitable demeanor (part of out commitment to almsgiving) with which we began Lent now seems far beyond our capabilities. It's all we can do to contain our annoyance, if not anger, at this recalcitrant co-worker.
And so we arrive home on edge, and our words and behavior betray this to our families. Do they deserve this? No way. Ah, what happened to our Lenten resolution about "Charity begins at home"?
To help sustain our Lenten discipline at work, despite the difficulties we may be encountering lately, 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 7: Jesus Falls a Second Time
St. Alphonsus writes:
Consider the second fall of Jesus under the Cross—a fall which renews the pain of all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.
My most gentle Jesus, how many times Thou hast pardoned me, and how many times have I fallen again, and begun again to offend Thee! Oh, by the merits of this new fall, give me the necessary help to persevere in Thy grace until death. Grant that in all temptations which assail me I may always commend myself to Thee. 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:
Don't be discouraged by those shortfalls in your Lenten discipline. You've got good company; we're all in that same boat. Rather than be discouraged, consider the example Our Lord gave us when He fell the second time. Despite the pain and exhaustion of His death march to Calvary, He gets up to continue the journey. Consider the supreme effort it took to do so. Then recall that He knew the consequence of this supreme effort to get up and keep walking: excruciating suffering and death on the Cross. And yet He gets up. We can all take heart from His example. When you fall from time to time in keeping that Lenten spirit at work, pick yourself up and start again. Ask God for the grace you need to take those speed bumps in stride.
We conclude today's thoughts with the simple, moving exhortation with which St. Alphonsus Liguori approaches each Station of the Cross:
Pressing deadlines pile up. The boss is on us to meet them on time, just as his boss is on him. We'd like to come up for air and take some time to recollect ourselves, to grab a spare moment to consider Our Lord's Passion. But our pressing work continually distracts us.
With the pressure on, we find ourselves a bit short-tempered. That co-worker on whom we have to rely to finish a particularly important project seems slow in responding to our request for a progress update. That charitable demeanor (part of out commitment to almsgiving) with which we began Lent now seems far beyond our capabilities. It's all we can do to contain our annoyance, if not anger, at this recalcitrant co-worker.
And so we arrive home on edge, and our words and behavior betray this to our families. Do they deserve this? No way. Ah, what happened to our Lenten resolution about "Charity begins at home"?
To help sustain our Lenten discipline at work, despite the difficulties we may be encountering lately, 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 7: Jesus Falls a Second Time
St. Alphonsus writes:
Consider the second fall of Jesus under the Cross—a fall which renews the pain of all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.
My most gentle Jesus, how many times Thou hast pardoned me, and how many times have I fallen again, and begun again to offend Thee! Oh, by the merits of this new fall, give me the necessary help to persevere in Thy grace until death. Grant that in all temptations which assail me I may always commend myself to Thee. 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:
Don't be discouraged by those shortfalls in your Lenten discipline. You've got good company; we're all in that same boat. Rather than be discouraged, consider the example Our Lord gave us when He fell the second time. Despite the pain and exhaustion of His death march to Calvary, He gets up to continue the journey. Consider the supreme effort it took to do so. Then recall that He knew the consequence of this supreme effort to get up and keep walking: excruciating suffering and death on the Cross. And yet He gets up. We can all take heart from His example. When you fall from time to time in keeping that Lenten spirit at work, pick yourself up and start again. Ask God for the grace you need to take those speed bumps in stride.
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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