Examples of Good Spiritual Works Giving Solid Pracitical Tips at Work - 6

We continue with our discussion about how good spiritual works can give us solid practical tips at work. 

Again, the primary purpose of reading good spiritual works remains helping us to live holy lives, specifically to grow closer to God. Nothing we'll discuss changes that. But if spiritual works can simultaneously provide a gem here or there that we can apply to the practical work we do, all the better. It helps us in offering our work for the greater glory of God, while enhancing the quality of the work we produce not only in God's eyes, but in the eyes of our boss, our clients, our customers. 

As we've noted, an unbeatable combination.

With that in mind, we finish up the string of thoughts from our current guide, Father Joseph Schryvers. He's been teaching us the value of mortification. And we've appreciated not only the benefit to our souls, but have noted how such can bring both blessings and benefits to our workplace. Here Father digs deep into our hearts, compelling us to give all we can in our efforts at mortification. In the end, it's got to do with love of Our Lord.

"…Love will strip you of all, and you will be happy in your despoilment, for you will be clothed with Jesus, and admitted into His intimacy. As a matter of fact, without these little sacrifices, there are no heart to heart relations with Jesus. Without the wood of the Cross, the fire of love dies out; this is a law of the supernatural life. Jesus is good towards all, but He is goodness without measure to those who give without measure. He has told us so Himself: ‘With what measure you have measured, it shall be measured to you again.’ How could Jesus use reserve towards a soul who strives without ceasing to please Him, and to please Him at her own cost? How could He allow Himself to be surpassed in generosity by His little creature – He Who is goodness itself? If miracles were necessary in order to prove His love to a generous soul, He would not hesitate to work them; but He has a thousand other ways of making the soul feel how much He loves her. And if He does not give her this intimate conviction, it is because He wishes to furnish her with a new occasion of sacrifice."

Ah, sacrifice. We may not like the sound of it, but who can deny the central role it must play in our lives. We can't love Jesus without sacrifice. Indeed, sacrifice is embedded in love. So that means sacrifice must be at the center of our love of our spouse, our children, indeed our fellow man, which includes, of course, our colleagues at work.

We won't try to sort out and extract specific actions yielding specific benefits on the job. Any of us who take mortification seriously, who desire to love God know that love involves sacrifice. So we can use the powers of intellect and imagination to understand how love ultimately brings only good to our work, as well as for whom (boss, clients and customers) and with whom (colleagues) we work.

Father concludes his line of thought with some words about one of my favorite saints: 

“At the end of her short life, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus said to her Mother Prioress: ‘I feel that my mission is soon to begin: my mission to make others love God as I love Him…to teach souls my little way.’ ‘And what is this little way that you would teach to souls?’ ‘Mother, I want to point out to them the means that I have always found so perfectly successful; to tell them that there is but one thing to do here below: we must offer Jesus the flowers of little sacrifices, and win Him by a caress. This is how I have won Him; that is why I shall be made so welcome.’ Truly, this child of Carmel was well instructed in the ways of the spiritual life. She had had only one Master – Jesus.

“Listen to her, you also, dear soul. She will teach you to make little sacrifices for Him and to immolate yourself unceasingly to His love. And if you do not feel, as yet, the strength to lead this life of little privations, beg the Master to draw you by the charm of His Cross, for the Cross exercises a charm, and those, who have not been fascinated by it, understand nothing of its attractions and disdain its delights.” (Fr. Joseph Schryvers, C.SS.R.)

With God's grace, the example of St. Therese will spur us on to a life filled with mortification and sacrifice. Perhaps we too will be filled with the desire to make others love God as we do. 

Surely we understand what this will do for ourselves and all around us. We can only imagine the benefit that such desire will bring to our workplace and those for whom and with whom we work.