Time to Re-cap Some Things

It's time to recap the ongoing theme of our posts in recent months. 

We want to build stability in our personal and work lives. Why? We're being buffeted by an unprecedented wave of distractions (at best) and disruptions (at worst) coming at us from the world. The sources are both secular and, sadly, religious.

From the world, we're facing a weakening economy that is in recession or soon will be. Recessions can be light or heavy. Light recessions come and go. Most businesses survive, and eventually pick up where they left off before the recession hit. Heavy recessions are another story. We can hope for the best, of course; but we'd be wise to prepare for the worst. Without getting into the weeds, just know there are good reasons to think this recession will be on the heavy side.

More from the world: Our financial markets have been behaving badly - very badly. Being in the financial business for over 20 years, and in the working world longer than that, these are - by far - the most dysfunctional (to put it mildly) markets I've witnessed. In the past, you could find at least one asset that would give you a bit of a boost if, for example, the stock market entered Bear Market territory (which it has). Not so now. Everything's losing money. That drags down our (prudent we hope) investments. If we're ultra-conservative and avoid any sort of risky investments (like stocks), in favor of money in the bank, CDs, government bonds (treasuries, for example), we're no better off. But aren't we safer? Not when you factor in...

Inflation: We've listed this before as one of a number of items that distract or disrupt both our business and personal lives. But maybe we should cast a bit of a spotlight on this item at this point. It's gotten worse since we first referenced it. And it's not going away any time soon. It's gotten down and dirty doing what it does best: destroy the value of our money - wherever you have it (stocks, bonds, real estate, banks, etc.). So as I'm posting and as you're reading this, your losing some not insignificant percentage of the purchasing power of your hard-earned savings that you've squirreled away for a rainy day, or any other purpose.

And let's not forget the distraction and disruption coming from - again sadly - our Church. If you've tried to be a serious Catholic for any length of time, you're likely aware of the problems our Church has encountered from without and from within. We'll take a quick look at these two sources of trouble for Holy Mother Church.

From without, in many parts of the world Catholics have come under increasing attack by hostile forces ranging from the Communist Party of China to the Islamic jihadists, to secular governments in general. The attacks range from outright killing of Catholics to laws and cultural trends designed to put the Church out of sight out of mind for as many as possible.

From within, we have been hounded by at best the "Spirit of Vatican II," at worst, wolves disguised as shepherds and sheep who clearly no longer believe in a single phrase in the Creed - whether Nicene or Apostles. Between these two camps, our traditional teachings - which served us faithfully and well for two millennia - have been either jettisoned, mocked, or otherwise marginalized. I hope you know what I'm talking about.

So here we find ourselves on this September work day.

And that is why we seek to do our best to promote stability along with it's close cousin, peace, in our workplace. It will help us to diligently pursue our duties each day without an additional layer of distraction and disruption.

As for our choice to follow the Rule of St. Benedict this year, we've found passage after passage gives us a flavor for the order and stability our blessed Benedict desired for his monks living in a monastery. Here's a simple selection:

"Let the abbot always eat with the guests and pilgrims. But when there are not guests, let him have the power to invite whom he will of the brethren. Yet, for discipline's sake, let one or two seniors always be left with the brethren."

Leaving no stone unturned, St. Benedict tackles an ongoing situation in his monastery - the arrival of guests - and does so in a simple, straightforward manner. But even in this brief instruction, we see how he makes sure to reinforce the need for the discipline and order that will foster stability in his monastery and the spiritual well-being of his monks. 

Let's learn a lesson: When making any decision, or taking any action at work, keep the stability of our workplace and the welfare of our fellow workers front and center. With all that the world is throwing at us, anything less will weaken our resolve and undermine our daily efforts to produce the best we can for the greater glory of God.