A Sunday Thought About Following The Liturgical Calendar Every Day

We recently suggested following the Liturgical Calendar each day. The purpose of this isn't to pile on yet another daily pious practice. We coupled the suggestion with a short passage from the writings of Father Willie Doyle. It spoke of Jesus' love for us an a way that only a saint could speak. Father's words overwhelmed us because I think he touched in a personal and deeply heart-felt way the love of Christ for each of us. The depth of that love is beyond imagining. Father tried to imagine, and I think he succeeded as much as one can while still chained to this earth.

Following the Liturgical Calendar can serve as a way to lift our minds and hearts each day from our brief life on this earth toward eternal life. And eternal life is the entire reason for our life on this earth. 

Sunday is our day to enter, if only briefly, our eternal life. We do that by uniting ourselves to the priest in offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. There we meet Jesus, Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity. He "comes down" from Heaven and the bread and wine become Him, really Him. When we pray the Mass, when we receive Holy Communion, we touch Heaven.

Following the Liturgical Calendar can help us keep something like our Sundays each and every day. As we check in with our To Do List each day for our work and our domestic duties, we also check in with the supernatural life served by Holy Mother Church's Liturgical Calendar. We're in touch with the natural and the supernatural world each day. If we only check in with the natural world, we're subjecting ourselves to the push and pull of the world, the flesh, and the devil, even as we try to go about the duties of our state of life. Checking in with the supernatural will keep us grounded. It will steady us in the face of all those pushes and pulls.

Of course, actively working on our spiritual life will always be the meat and potatoes of our daily effort to grow in holiness. But following the Liturgical Calendar will serve as a daily reminder that our spiritual life takes precedence over all our other endeavors, important as these many be.

If you remember, we have recommended many times in the past that we finish up our business plans for the next year by Thanksgiving, rather than targeting the end of the calendar year. First, it gives us head start, as waiting until the last minute frequently spills into the new year, delaying our having a clear picture of our main initiatives and objectives for the next 12 months. But of more importance for us Catholic men at work is that we connect our planning with the Liturgical Calendar, since the First Sunday of Advent (the beginning of the Liturgical Calendar) usually begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

If we're in the habit of doing that, it's a fairly simple step to marking the days of the Liturgical Calendar all year round. 

Doing so allows us to take notice of saint's feast days, as well as other important markers. We instantly spark our spiritual lives with such vigilance. You might, when you have a few minutes, look up a saint's story if your not familiar with it. Even if you think you are, you can always learn something new about a particular saint.

Note the saints throughout the year and before you know it you'll find their lives inspiring, even practically helpful in your work, than all the icons of the business world. 

You'll find a saint like St. Peter Damian, a Benedictine monk who preferred the quiet contemplative life. But his universally recognized administrative and organizational skills caused his superiors, including the Pope, to request his assistance in important Church matters. He also wrote much of great influence and spiritual nourishment for his monks, and all of us. (Do check out his written works.) Despite his preference for the isolation of the monastery, Peter Damian complied with those requests to serve the Church on a broader level. He was always grateful when he could get back within the walls of the monastery, but remained generous with his time and efforts when called upon.

I discovered him through following the Liturgical Calendar and he has become one of my patron saints. I so admire his ability to balance his own desires with what he perceived as obligations to others and to the Church. He used his impressive skills effectively, even as he remained recollected and devoted to his spiritual life. I can think of no famous business "leader" touted as a "role model" for us in the working world who can hold a candle to St. Peter Damian.

And there are dozens like him. Open your mind and your heart to their stories, and you will find hundreds of ways to perfect your working skills as you strengthen your spiritual life.

Those are just a few reasons we all should follow the Liturgical Calendar each day - in my humble opinion.

Happy Sunday!