Applying St. Benedict's "Tools for Good Works" to the Workplace During Lent - Part 10
(Originally posted in 2016)
We've come to the end of discussions of the "Tools of Good Works" from St. Benedict's Holy Rule. Let's hope they have helped us focus on those acts of charity that we can perform during Lent in the work place. Last time our focus was on prayer. We learned the importance of building our prayer life at work in two ways: directly praying, and turning our work itself into prayer. With our final two tools we will complete the transformation of the hours we spend at work from the material pursuits that mark most people's efforts on the job into a spiritual adventure that frees us to diligently perform our duties in such a way that they are always pleasing to God, rather than merely serving our material needs:
And here our Lenten fasting and mortifications can serve as a kind of spiritual energy boost. The self-control we acquire serves to resist temptations of the flesh, or as St. Benedict says, not to fulfill the desires of the flesh. In gaining some degree of mastery over our senses, we can more readily temper the desire to satisfy every urge of the flesh. And if you can accept and embrace the challenge to faithfully and persistently practice mortifications, even some fasting, even in the midst of a busy work day, so much the better. The demands of work may cause you to seek the comforts of a well-deserved coffee or snack break. Forego it once in a while. There's nothing sinful in the enjoyment of those little comforts and pleasures; but there's something much more satisfying and beneficial in giving them up from time to time.
On a practical level, this will help you control those specific temptations of the flesh that keep you from growing in holiness. For example, if you're inclined to eat too much, avoiding the snack vending machine develops the self-control that will help you control your appetite. If you drink too much, foregoing that extra cup of coffee, as you pray for an increase in temperance, can help you avoid those excessive drinks. By learning to deflect your mind from snacks, soda, lattes, etc. and back to the work at hand, you'll develop the ability to control mental and physical distractions. So the next time you're troubled by impure thoughts, you may find it easier to re-direct your attention. In short, fasting and mortification help discipline your will to do good and avoid evil.
Without this discipline to do good, we tend to use our will to build up ourselves, rather than pursue God's will. And thus we come to St. Benedict's exhortation to hate one's will. The moment we feel the urge to assert our will, it's time to pray and pray hard. Our work can and should be about getting results; it should decidedly not be about getting our way. This applies to the admin as well as the CEO. Do your work diligently. When you succeed, your satisfaction should be based on having accomplished the particular objectives of your appointed service, not on personal glory. If you find that your success puffs up your ego, your will has gotten the best of you. Pray for the grace to do His Holy Will. Do so by faithfully fulfilling the duties of your state of life, done for the greater glory of God. Love God's will; hate yours.
If we can effectively utilize these two tools consistently during our busy days, over time our daily labor, rather than merely serve the practical necessities of our life in this world, will lift our souls to that eternal life restored to us by the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord. And isn't that the perfect way to see our work as we approach Holy Week? Let's resolve now to sanctify our work with these "Tools of Good Works" these few days left in Lent and beyond.
We conclude today's remarks as we have been, with this traditional exhortation from the praying of the Stations of the Cross, to remind ourselves we live and work now in the holy season of Lent:
We've come to the end of discussions of the "Tools of Good Works" from St. Benedict's Holy Rule. Let's hope they have helped us focus on those acts of charity that we can perform during Lent in the work place. Last time our focus was on prayer. We learned the importance of building our prayer life at work in two ways: directly praying, and turning our work itself into prayer. With our final two tools we will complete the transformation of the hours we spend at work from the material pursuits that mark most people's efforts on the job into a spiritual adventure that frees us to diligently perform our duties in such a way that they are always pleasing to God, rather than merely serving our material needs:
- Not to fulfill the desires of the flesh.
- To hate one's own will.
And here our Lenten fasting and mortifications can serve as a kind of spiritual energy boost. The self-control we acquire serves to resist temptations of the flesh, or as St. Benedict says, not to fulfill the desires of the flesh. In gaining some degree of mastery over our senses, we can more readily temper the desire to satisfy every urge of the flesh. And if you can accept and embrace the challenge to faithfully and persistently practice mortifications, even some fasting, even in the midst of a busy work day, so much the better. The demands of work may cause you to seek the comforts of a well-deserved coffee or snack break. Forego it once in a while. There's nothing sinful in the enjoyment of those little comforts and pleasures; but there's something much more satisfying and beneficial in giving them up from time to time.
On a practical level, this will help you control those specific temptations of the flesh that keep you from growing in holiness. For example, if you're inclined to eat too much, avoiding the snack vending machine develops the self-control that will help you control your appetite. If you drink too much, foregoing that extra cup of coffee, as you pray for an increase in temperance, can help you avoid those excessive drinks. By learning to deflect your mind from snacks, soda, lattes, etc. and back to the work at hand, you'll develop the ability to control mental and physical distractions. So the next time you're troubled by impure thoughts, you may find it easier to re-direct your attention. In short, fasting and mortification help discipline your will to do good and avoid evil.
Without this discipline to do good, we tend to use our will to build up ourselves, rather than pursue God's will. And thus we come to St. Benedict's exhortation to hate one's will. The moment we feel the urge to assert our will, it's time to pray and pray hard. Our work can and should be about getting results; it should decidedly not be about getting our way. This applies to the admin as well as the CEO. Do your work diligently. When you succeed, your satisfaction should be based on having accomplished the particular objectives of your appointed service, not on personal glory. If you find that your success puffs up your ego, your will has gotten the best of you. Pray for the grace to do His Holy Will. Do so by faithfully fulfilling the duties of your state of life, done for the greater glory of God. Love God's will; hate yours.
If we can effectively utilize these two tools consistently during our busy days, over time our daily labor, rather than merely serve the practical necessities of our life in this world, will lift our souls to that eternal life restored to us by the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord. And isn't that the perfect way to see our work as we approach Holy Week? Let's resolve now to sanctify our work with these "Tools of Good Works" these few days left in Lent and beyond.
We conclude today's remarks as we have been, with this traditional exhortation from the praying of the Stations of the Cross, to remind ourselves we live and work now in the holy season of Lent:
We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee,
Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou Hast Redeemed the world.
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