Should You Be Like a Child at Work?

May, Mary's month, ended recently and led us to June, the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. (Mary always leads us right to Jesus, doesn't she?) That Heart, formed in Mary's womb in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, beats now for each of us, and always will. 

Devotion to the Sacred Heart was once commonly promoted to all Catholics. The Jesuits, in the days they were faithful to the teachings and the heart of Holy Mother Church, were especially devoted to the Sacred Heart. Having attended Jesuit high school and college, I'm familiar with their history, including, sadly their recent history. Some of the older Jesuits still carried their devotion to the Sacred Heart. The younger ones not so much.

But with or without the encouragement of Jesuits, we can all nevertheless embrace Our Lord's Sacred Heart and express our love and devotion to Him. Doing so in the midst of a busy day at work must especially please Him. He gave His all for us and continues to attend to our every need. 

We might even touch that Heart, so wounded, yet so loving. It beats within each of us, as He dwells in all of us who remain in a state of grace. So it shouldn't be so hard for us to acknowledge His Presence, even to touch Him in this special way. Just a deep breath, a quick break from the grind, and you're already there, with Him, alive in your soul. He only asks a moment. You have that much for Him, right?

And yet I know how hard this simple act of love can be during a busy work day. So many times I've begun the day with the good intention to recollect myself during the day; so many days have passed with hardly a nod to the Our Lord, present within me. So many failures remind me that what I try to do often falls short. And the more I try to go it alone, the more I fail.

When the realization of the futility of going to Our Lord without His grace sinks in, it's time to grasp it and not let it pass. During this month dedicated to the Sacred Heart, we all have the opportunity to take at least some measures to assure we don't continue to do those things that result in failure over and over again.

Perhaps we who toil each day might recall that "definition" of insanity attributed to Einstein: He purportedly said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." With that in mind, let's eschew the insanity of relying solely on ourselves, certainly in our spiritual lives, but also in our work life.

One of the surest ways to do this, to shift from a self-centered self-reliance to a cooperative effort under the direction of God's grace, is to circle back to Mary. Her month of May ended but she remains Mediatrix of all graces. It will be Mary to whom we turn today. But as we do, we must leave that "self" that separates us from God behind. And to do that, we approach her as a little child. Not in an immature or puerile manner; but with the spiritual maturity that comes with our vibrant interior life. 

Some words from Father Edward Leen : "We must be children in the spiritual life. A child does not have to carve out its own destiny; a child does not have to rely on itself; a child does not have to provide for itself. Everything is done for it. To be a child in the spiritual life is to depend always, in every action, upon God, looking to Him and to our Mother.” 

If you're not sure about the necessity of being a child, just recall Matthew 18:3 when Our Lord says, "Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." So Father Leen hit the nail on the head.

We Catholic men at work don't become like little children to avoid our responsibilities as adults, either to our families or to our work. We become like little children because of our love for Jesus and His Mother, our Mother.

We'll dig deeper into this next time...